15 May 1. Write your thoughts and feelings about the assigned readings for Monday.

1. 

Write your thoughts and feelings about the assigned readings for Monday. Try to demonstrate that you have done the reading, and that you can explain it. If you cannot explain it, ask questions until you can. You can reply to someone’s post, to clarify and or explain. Pay attention to the criteria, for full credit : On time; at least 200 words; thoughtful and substantive; based on the assigned readings; answers the specific question; includes interaction.

Copy this question into your post and answer it: What does Dr. Takaki have to teach us about the contributions of women to the history and culture of the United States? Hint: as much as about men?  Much at all?

2.Write your thoughts and feelings about the assigned readings for Tuesday.  Try to demonstrate that you have done the reading, and that you can explain it.  Pay attention to the criteria, for full credit: On time; at least 200 words; thoughtful and substantive; based on the assigned readings; answers the specific question, increasingly interactive. 

 

Today we will explore some issues about wage discrepancies between women and men, and between White people and people of color.  We’ll start with an overview of pay equity data from the US Bureau of the Census, updated in 1995, about 25 years ago.  This old data is useful to us, to provide a comparison, as many of us think we have made great progress on pay equity.  Then, we’ll do some research to check the accuracy of the data based on more current statistics.  Let’s start with some data from the US Bureau of the Census:

• The ratio of women’s 1995 median weekly earnings to men’s median weekly earnings was 75.5 percent.
• Of the 14 million families maintained by women, 4.2 million (34.6%) were below the poverty level
• Even in traditionally female occupations where women outnumber men, women still earn about $.72 for every $1.00 men earn

Let’s look at some historical data, so we can track how pay equity has improved since 1995.

Median Weekly Earnings, Selected Traditionally Female Occupations, 1995

  Occupation

Earnings:  Women

Earnings:  Men

  Registered Nurse

  $693

  $715

 Elementary School Teacher

  627

  713

 Cashiers

  233

  256

 Office Clerk

  360

  389

Health Aide

  285

  345

Note:  Employment and earnings rates rise with educational attainment for both females and males, but earnings are lower for females than for males with the same education (Median Income of Persons, by Educational Attainment and Sex, year-round, full-time Workers, 1994)

  Level of Education

  Women

  Men

  9th-12th Grade (no diploma)

  $15,133

  $22,048

  High school graduate

  20,373

  28,037

  Some college, no degree

  23,514

  32,279

  Associate Degree

  25,940

  35,794

  Bachelor’s degree +

  35,378

  49,228

You can check the most current figures at this website for the National Committee on Pay Equity (Links to an external site.)

Start with the Q & A on Pay Equity (Links to an external site.).  I expect that you will, at a minimum, read through the links on the Fact Sheet page. 

Check this current data on the US Bureau of the Census (Links to an external site.) website:

If you want to know more, try the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (Links to an external site.)

Post your thoughts, questions and feelings about this in your notes, and in the Discussion Forum.

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3.  

Choose one of these links, and answer the question;

The Simple Truth about the Gender Pay Gap (Links to an external site.)

If you want something simpler, go to filmsforaction.org (Links to an external site.) and watch about Underrepresentation of Women in Textbooks (Links to an external site.) 

Copy this question into your post and then answer it: What connections can you make between what you read about gender, and your assigned readings for this week? What patterns do you recognize, that you thought were ancient history?

You just have to write a few hundred words, just 3 paragraphs. If it is taking you hours to write your posts, try reading the Discussion first, to see what others are writing. It should take less than an hour to write a post.  If you need help, consider the Writing and Learning Studio, the Tutoring Program, your advisor.  We can help.  Let us help.

 

4. 

All of the concepts and assumptions about sexual identity and orientation are in flux at this moment in our society, in the U.S. and in the world. And, so, in this moment, we are collecting information about what it means to have a sexual orientation and a sexual identity. Because we are all over the place in our understanding of this, let’s start at the beginning.

The APA FAQ on Sexual Orientation (Links to an external site.) is both basic and complete. Just notice a while.

Watch this TED Talk on Romantic Love (Links to an external site.), and try to imagine that the love Dr. Fisher talks about is not only heterosexual love. Just romantic love, which is applicable to all orientations, all genders, all identities. Then, as you go about your day, try to notice romantic love.  Notice it in the songs you hear, the tv you watch, the movies, everywhere. 

Notice this: when we talk about heterosexual love, what do we imagine? (female/male at the grocery store, playing with children, etc). when we talk about other than heterosexual love, it is often about physical sex, and rarely about people living their lives in love, raising children, cooking dinner together, paying the bills, remodeling the bathroom. Just notice this a while.  

Write about some of it in your notes, and in your post. Include part of the question in your post.