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gender equality

A Scientific Perspective on the Patriarchy: The Gender Pay Gap and Unequal Opportunity

New research challenges common assumptions about the gender pay gap and women’s career advancement. This article examines economic studies revealing how factors like career choices, work hours, and job preferences contribute to wage disparities between men and women. It explores the “educational-gender-equality paradox” and questions the effectiveness of quotas in addressing workplace inequality. Marc Defant shares insights into the complex interplay of personal decisions, societal expectations, and labor market dynamics shaping gender differences in the workforce.

Richard Reeves – Why Men Are Struggling, Why It Matters, and What to Do About It

Shermer and Reeves discuss the gender gap in higher education, which has reversed since 1972, with men now earning only 42 percent of degrees. They explore boys lagging in English, higher male suicide rates, and premature deaths. They note lower employment rates for Black men and societal preferences for daughters. The conversation covers conflicting messages about masculinity and critiques of “boy culture.” They examine how these issues intersect with various ideologies and societal problems, affecting boys’ development and challenging traditional…

Rose Hackman — Emotional Labor: The Invisible Work Shaping Our Lives

Shermer and Hackman discuss: • her journey to researching emotional labor • What is emotional labor? • sex/gender differences in emotions • equality vs. equity • income inequality between men and women • Richard Reeves’ book, Of Boys and Men • why women are more risk averse • sex and emotional labor • sex work and prostitution • pornography • #metoo • emotional capitalism • liberal vs. conservative attitudes about emotional labor and gender differences.

eSkeptic for September 18, 2021

We pile on “to-dos” but don’t consider “stop-doings.” We create incentives for good behavior, but don’t get rid of obstacles to it. In episode 210, Michael Shermer speaks with Leidy Klotz about his book Subtract: The Untapped Science of Less. PLUS Do you believe that men have greater power and privilege because they are stronger, more aggressive, and smarter than women (and don’t have babies)? Think again.

Inequality: Why Women? A Plausible Sociocultural Explanation for the Persistence & Universality of Gender Inequality Over Thousands of Years

Illustration of a woman carrying a man on her back (by Pat Linse)

Do you believe that men have greater power and privilege because they are stronger, more aggressive, and smarter than women (and don’t have babies)? Think again. Dolores Newton & Jefferson Fish present a plausible sociocultural explanation for the persistence and universality of gender inequality over thousands of years.

eSkeptic for September 17, 2019

We are pleased to announce Dr. Michael Shermer’s brand new 12-lecture Audible Original Course: Conspiracies & Conspiracy Theories — What We Should and Shouldn’t Believe — and Why, available now from audible.com. PLUS, in Science Salon # 83, Michael Shermer speaks with Peter Boghossian about his new book How to Have Impossible Conversations: A Very Practical Guide.

Peter Boghossian — How to Have Impossible Conversations: A Very Practical Guide

In our current political climate, it seems impossible to have a reasonable conversation with anyone who has a different opinion. Everyone seems to be on a hair trigger. This conversation is a guide to straightforward, practical, conversational techniques necessary for every successful conversation — whether the issue is climate change, religious faith, gender identity, race, poverty, immigration, or gun control.

14-08-20

In this week’s eSkeptic, Michael Shermer interviews Pope Francis in the sixth release of our “Skeptic Presents” satirical video series; Skepticality interviews rights activist Sikivu Hutchinson; MonsterTalk interviews Brad Voytek and Tim Verstynen about zombies; Donald Prothero discusses the Mind of the Science Denier; and Edward Slingerland discusses the Art and Science of Spontaneity.

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