Graduating to a Pay Gap: The Earnings of Women and Men One Year After College Graduation

Nearly 50 years after the passage of the Equal Pay Act of 1963, women continue to earnless than men do in nearly every occupation.Because pay is a fundamental part of everyday life, enabling individuals to support themselves and their families, the pay gap evokes passionate debate. Although the data confirming the persistence of the pay gap are incontrovertible,the reasons behind the gap remain the subject ofcontroversy. Do women earn less because they make different choices than men do? Does discrimination play a role? What other issues might be involved?This report explores the pay gap between male and female college graduates working full time one year after graduation.You might expect the pay gap between men and women in this group of workers of similar age,education, and family responsibilities to be small or nonexistent. But in 2009 -- the most recent year for which data are available -- women one year out of college who were working full time earned, on average, just 82 percent of what their male peers earned. After we control for hours, occupation, college major, employment sector,and other factors associated with pay, the pay gap shrinks but does not disappear. About one third of the gap cannot be explained by any of the factors commonly understood to affect earnings, indicating that other factors that are more difficult to identify -- and likely more difficult to measure -- contribute to the pay gap

An investigation of the impact on operational managers' psychological contracts of moving to Trust status

Contemporary literature on change management suggests that the pace of change is accelerating and that public sector organisations are increasingly introducing change initiatives designed to move their services into the marketplace. As such, organisations must be aware of the likely impact of change on their employees to respond quickly and ensure change initiatives are effective. The impact of change on employees' psychological contracts in general, and specifically in relation to downsizing, is seen to reduce their level of commitment, loyalty and trust which can result in employees withdrawing their services, behaving such that change initiatives are adversely affected or deciding to leave the organisation. In addition, operational managers are seen to hold a unique position within an organisation and, at times of significant organisational change, their level of loyalty, commitment and trust is seen as vital to its effective implementation. Research in this area within the public sector is very limited. More specifically, no published research has looked at the impact of a significant change initiative within the UK Probation Service. This study therefore focuses on Cheshire Probation Area (CPA) and seeks to investigate the impact on operational managers' psychological contracts on moving to Trust status. A conceptual model was developed which drew together the key theoretical elements of both psychological contracts and change management, in which the interpretation of the change was seen as crucial to its effective implementation. A cross sectional design was used to assess the impact using a questionnaire providing both quantitative and qualitative data. Statistical analysis showed the majority of respondents' psychological contracts were unaffected by the move to Trust status. However, for those who were, trust was the main area affected. An interpretive analysis of the data also found that the majority of respondents felt their psychological contract was unaffected, or that it was too soon to appreciate its full impact. However all respondents felt they provided more loyalty to CPA than was reciprocated. It concludes that, in general, operational managers continue to hold a relational psychological contract with CPA that has largely been unaffected by the move to Trust status, and should therefore support the implementation of this change initiative

Charming or harming: Case studies of emotional abuse in heterosexual intimate partner relationships

Emotional abuse in the absence of physical abuse is often unrecognised. Although the literature identifies the insidious nature of this type of abuse and the physiological, psychological and emotional harm it often causes, knowledge of how women come to recognise they are being emotionally abused is underdeveloped. In response to this, the purpose of this research was to investigate the dynamics of emotionally abusive heterosexual intimate partner relationships and establish how women came to recognise their relationship as such. Four women who identified as having been emotionally abused by their male partner each took part in two in-depth semi-structured interviews about their experiences. The analysis and methodology of the research was underpinned by a feminist framework. The interviews are presented in case study form, showing in context the undermining effects of the abuse and any difficulties the women faced in pinpointing what was so wrong with their relationships. Gender socialisation, myths surrounding abuse, and mixed messages from potential support systems, all influenced recognition. Theories useful for disentangling the complex social structure which may support emotional abuse of women included gender theories from Goffman and Connell, relational theory, and total institution theory among others. The research highlights the importance of rethinking the nature of abuse from individual explosive acts of violence perpetrated by a certain type of person, to a continual process of more subtle undermining factors which are underpinned by patriarchy and gender inequality. For a more comprehensive picture of emotional abuse it becomes clear there is a need to step away from conceptualising it in a similar manner to physical abuse and to look not only in terms of acts done, but also in terms of reciprocity and neglect

Actors as Teachers: The Art of Storytelling

Aims to create a show for young children that is inclusive of children along a broad range of development

Evaluation of the Whānau Ora Wellbeing Service of Te Whakaruruhau: Final report

Domestic violence and child abuse represent significant threats to whānau ora. Conversely, the weakening or loss of whānau ties can increase the vulnerability of whānau members to domestic violence and child abuse. Thus enhancing whānau ora in the context of domestic violence and child abuse is both a high priority and a significant challenge. Te Whakaruruhau Māori Women’s Refuge has been providing safe housing, support and advocacy to women and children for over two decades and has become a key agency in family violence networks in Kirikiriroa. The development of the Whānau Ora Wellbeing Service, the focus of this evaluation, was a logical extension of Refuge services. The Māori and Psychology Research Unit was commissioned in mid‐2011 to conduct this evaluation. It is based on ten case studies of clients in the programme, interviews with Te Whakaruruhau staff and key informants in allied agencies, and participant‐observation of Refuge activities. The case studies provide insights into the lived experience of women dealing with violence, their attempts to protect themselves and their children, and their experiences of – and reflections upon – the Whānau Ora Wellbeing programme

Change in science teacher practice towards IBSE

This study reports on the introduction of inquiry-based science education (IBSE) to the classroom through teacher professional development. The study occurs in three phases. Teachers initially participated in a professional learning community (PLC) in Phase 1 of the study. They then participated in a community of practice (CoP) in Phase 2. In Phase 1 teachers (as a PLC) were introduced to the concept of teaching by inquiry and delivered Topic 1 to students in the junior cycle of secondary school. Teachers and students encountered challenges. This did not deter most of the teachers who continued to the next phase. The teachers in Phase 2 became part of a CoP that developed resources for two more inquiry based topics to be taught by them in the classroom. Professional development of science teachers using CoP appeared to be effective as a vehicle for teachers to grow in understanding of IBSE in this study. Teachers continued to implement inquiry learning in other classes outside of the study with different resources and so introduced inquiry at a school department level. CoP may be used as a model for teacher professional development to introduce IBL into the classroom

Assessing the Effect of Food Exposure on Children\u27s Identification and Acceptance of Fruit and Vegetables

Currently, fewer than 15% of children between the ages of 4–8 years consume the recommended levels of fruit and vegetables. In order to address this serious public health issue, a variety of nutrition programs have been implemented across the United States which have varied in their success. The present research analyzed the effectiveness of providing fruit and vegetable exposure as part of a school nutrition program. Kindergarten students at two schools (N = 59) were exposed to interactive activities about healthy eating and physical activity. In addition, those at one school (n = 29) were exposed to a variety of fruits and vegetables as part of this program. Assessment of children\u27s ability to identify and their willingness to try fruit and vegetables before and after the program indicated that while all children were better able to identify a range of fruit, only those who received exposure to healthful foods were more willing to try fruit after the program. There were no changes in their identification or willingness to eat vegetables. These results suggest that schools should provide exposure to a variety of healthy foods as part of their nutrition programs. Such programs should focus specifically on exposing children to vegetables because increasing children\u27s willingness to try foods that are typically considered unpalatable may be especially challenging

Where are You Storing Your Research Days Poster? Promoting an Online Repository for Research Days Submissions

In January 2015, the George Washington University Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library began to strategize how to increase student and faculty awareness of Himmelfarb\u27s Health Sciences Research Commons (HSRC) institutional repository, and to encourage them to self-archive their GW Research Days abstracts and posters for permanent storage

All Hands on Deck: A Team Approach to System Migration

Purpose: To determine if a team approach to a complex integrated library system (ILS) migration would result in a timely and successful outcome. Brief Description: Changing needs and an aging integrated library system server platform prompted Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library to migrate to a new ILS. After considering several options, Himmelfarb decided to join with the George Washington University\u27s Jacob Burns Law Library in their move to a hosted instance of Innovative Interface\u27s Sierra ILS and Encore OPAC. Though some separation of data and functionality could be achieved, there were several functions that would be shared between the two libraries\u27 systems. A successful transition would depend upon both libraries\u27: detailed knowledge of the system data determining essential functionality to preserve willingness to change and accommodate Because the Law Library\u27s Sierra migration was delayed until mid-December 2012 and Himmelfarb\u27s pre-paid server maintenance was ending in March 2013, the window to accomplish migration was a short 12 weeks, prompting the decision to team-manage the migration. Conclusion: Teams and organizational tools, including weekly meetings to discuss problems, ensured the timely completion of key assignments that were critical to meeting the Go Live date goal. The team approach allowed the work and decision-making to be distributed among a large percentage of the staff, creating a broader sense of ownership. Distribution of tasks allowed a high level of attention to detail necessary for an optimal outcome

Newborn survival: a multi-country analysis of a decade of change

Neonatal deaths account for 40% of global under-five mortality and are ever more important if we are to achieve the Millennium Development Goal 4 (MDG 4) on child survival. We applied a results framework to evaluate global and national changes for neonatal mortality rates (NMR), healthy behaviours, intervention coverage, health system change, and inputs including funding, while considering contextual changes. The average annual rate of reduction of NMR globally accelerated between 2000 and 2010 (2.1% per year) compared with the 1990s, but was slower than the reduction in mortality of children aged 1-59 months (2.9% per year) and maternal mortality (4.2% per year). Regional variation of NMR change ranged from 3.0% per year in developed countries to 1.5% per year in sub-Saharan Africa. Some countries have made remarkable progress despite major challenges. Our statistical analysis identifies inter-country predictors of NMR reduction including high baseline NMR, and changes in income or fertility. Changes in intervention or package coverage did not appear to be important predictors in any region, but coverage data are lacking for several neonatal-specific interventions. Mortality due to neonatal infection deaths, notably tetanus, decreased, and deaths from complications of preterm birth are increasingly important. Official development assistance for maternal, newborn and child health doubled from 2003 to 2008, yet by 2008 only 6% of this aid mentioned newborns, and a mere 0.1% (US$4.56m) exclusively targeted newborn care. The amount of newborn survival data and the evidence based increased, as did recognition in donor funding. Over this decade, NMR reduction seems more related to change in context, such as socio-economic factors, than to increasing intervention coverage. High impact cost-effective interventions hold great potential to save newborn lives especially in the highest burden countries. Accelerating progress requires data-driven investments and addressing context-specific implementation realitie