Gender Equity in the Workplace

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A Promising Era for Women of Color in U.S. Elections, but Gains in Broader Workplace Leadership Remain Elusive

Women of color remain significantly underrepresented in workplace leadership and along the promotion pipeline in comparison to white women, as well as to black and white men. How much more work needs to be done to achieve the combination of race and gender equity in leadership?

Zara Fatima Abdurahaman

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Gender Pay Gap Among Doctors, America's Labor Shortage, 'Hacking Equity': RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on the pay gap between female and male doctors, understanding America’s weird job market, social and emotional learning, and more.

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Vaccine Hesitancy, Sexual Misconduct in the U.S. Military, the Iran Nuclear Deal: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on Black Americans' vaccine hesitancy, sexual harassment and sexual assault in the U.S. military, rejoining the Iran nuclear deal, and more.

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Helping Mothers Return to Work Is a Gender Equality Issue

Employers and policymakers play a crucial role in ensuring that women are not unnecessarily disadvantaged when they have children. Policies such as access to family leave, job protection, and childcare options can play a large role.

Michaela Bruckmayer, Joanna Hofman @JoannaBHofman

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Supporting Working Parents Could Accelerate Recovery

Since the COVID-19 recession started last February, almost 3 million women have left the labor force. With vaccines rolling out, will they go back to work? There are several policies that could help.

Melanie A. Zaber @MelanieZaber, Kathryn A. Edwards

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Americans' Financial Struggles, COVID-19 Vaccinations, Virtual Schools: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on Americans' ongoing financial struggles, how we can learn from the first phase of COVID-19 vaccinations, why virtual schools may be here to stay, and more.

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COVID-19 Gave Managers a Look at Our Home Lives. Will They Now Penalize Women?

The pandemic gave managers a window into the struggles of working women. What will they do with this information? Will they accommodate women by making exceptions to their established norms? Or will they do the harder work of remaking their culture so women are no longer the exception?

Lisa Abraham, Kathryn A. Edwards

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Working Women, the Intelligence Community, Syrian Refugees: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on supporting America's working women, challenges facing the next Director of National Intelligence, how Syria's forever war is creating forever refugees, and more.

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Women Are Leaving the Labor Force in Record Numbers

The economic downturn during the pandemic is affecting women workers measurably more than men. There were 2.2 million fewer women in the labor force in October 2020 than there were last October. Investing in childcare and expanding labor laws could keep women employed and buoy the entire economy.

Kathryn A. Edwards

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When It Comes to U.S. Health Systems—Diversity Matters

Health care systems are a powerful and relatively well-resourced stakeholder in the effort to eliminate inequities both among the health workforce and among patient populations. The deliberate practice of increasing diversity within the workplace may have the power to create significant, positive impacts on workplace culture and patient care.

Ryan E. Tsuchida, Sydney Fouche, et al.

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Radicalization, the Gender Pay Gap, Israel-UAE Deal: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on the potential for a new era of radicalization, insights into the gender pay gap, why the Israel-UAE deal doesn’t merit the hype, and more.

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The Link Between Workplace Diversity and the Gender Pay Gap

Many factors explain the gender earnings gap, including workplace biases, differences in how credit is attributed, and differences in how men and women negotiate. But another factor could influence the pay women receive: the number of men in their workplace.

Christopher M. Whaley @cm_whaley, Anupam B. Jena

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Equal Pay for Equal Work: How Binding Pay Transparency Measures May Help

More than 60 years ago, the EU introduced the principle of equal pay for equal work for men and women. But a gender pay gap persists in most countries. In 2014, a European Commission Recommendation encouraged measures to aid pay transparency, but implementation has been limited.

Michaela Bruckmayer

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Economic Recovery in Egypt Should Include Women

Despite tremendous strides in educational attainment, women's engagement in the labor force in Egypt remains limited. Will Egypt's post-pandemic recovery further exacerbate structural barriers and inequities? Or could the current economic crisis be an opportunity to develop new opportunities to employ women and foster conditions for a more inclusive and diversified labor force?

Louay Constant

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A Proposed COVID-19 Cure, Economic Decline, North Korea: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on the unintended consequences of a proposed COVID-19 treatment, another wave of economic destruction, North Korea after Kim Jong Un, and more.

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School Start Times, Streaming Apps, Brexit: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on later school start times, how streaming apps could help Americans be more active, the latest Brexit news, and more.

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Stop Calling Us 'Women Experts'

To get to a place where a woman's expertise is valued as implicitly as a man's, women must be freed of the baggage of being “women scholars” and “women policymakers.” Instead, women must be given that most significant form of respect: Just call us experts.

Caroline Baxter, Elizabeth Bodine-Baron @bodinebaron

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A Wargame at RAND Puts Teen Girls in Command

RAND analysts developed and hosted a wargame to help young women learn firsthand about national security. It's a lesson in strategy, in the hard realities behind news headlines, but also in agility and resilience. In that, it's not so far removed from the daily life of a teenage girl.

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Ending the 'Brogrammer' Culture: How to Close the Gender Gap

Despite recent progress, women are significantly outnumbered in technology, comprising only 30 percent of the workforce worldwide. It's up to society, governments, and technology companies to close the gap. Improving internet access, education, and career opportunities for women could help.

Lucy Hocking

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On RAND's Research Findings Regarding Transgender Military Personnel Policy

In September 2015, the Department of Defense asked RAND to initiate a study on the implications of allowing transgender personnel to serve openly. Since its publication, the research has been widely viewed as the most comprehensive and authoritative analysis on this topic. RAND stands by the study's research approach, analysis, and findings.

Agnes Gereben Schaefer

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Female Drivers Can Put Saudis on Road to Enhanced Growth

Allowing women to get behind the wheel will likely lead to significant long-term changes in Saudi Arabia's economy and the participation of women in the labor force.

Shelly Culbertson @SC_Culbertson

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Cybersecurity Badge: One Big Step for Girl Scouts, Potentially Giant Leap for Women

The Girl Scouts will start offering 18 cybersecurity badges next year. In addition to exposing girls to cyber concepts and challenges, this could encourage them to pursue cybersecurity or other STEM careers in which women are underrepresented.

Lara Schmidt

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Why Europe's Work-Life Balance Proposal Could Be in Limbo for Years

The work-life balance proposal has a chance of having an impact on the labor markets and welfare systems in Europe. However, given the variation in policies across member states and levels of political support among key stakeholders, the proposal may end up stuck in negotiations.

Barbara Janta

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On 'Hidden Figures' and Being the Only Woman in the Room

RAND's Susan Marquis discusses the three brilliant African-American women depicted in the film Hidden Figures, the critical role of women in RAND's history, and more.

Susan L. Marquis

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Is It Time to Extend Maternity Leave Across Europe?

Any policy solution for extending maternity leave must strike a balance between protecting infant health through extended breastfeeding and mitigating any potentially negative impact on the mother's career progression or increased costs to business.

Lucy Strang, Miriam Broeks

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Transgender Troops: Fit to Serve

The Pentagon's decision to open the ranks to transgender service members was informed by months of RAND research into the costs and numbers involved.

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RAND Studies Help Inform Pentagon Decision to Open Combat Roles to Women

RAND researchers addressed topics such as whether members of U.S. special forces are ready to integrate women into their ranks and what lessons may be learned from other militaries that already have integrated women into combat positions.

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UK and Europe Are Behind the Times for Single Mothers and Their Children

Single parents head 10.4 percent of households with children across Europe — 20.4 percent in the UK — and the socioeconomic gap between single- and two-parent households continues to grow. Accessible and flexible work policies are needed to improve employment conditions for single parents, especially mothers.

Chloe E. Bird @ChloeBirdPhD, Kai Ruggeri

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Seven Chances to Meet Europe's Employment Targets

The EU will fail to meet the Europe 2020 Strategy target of having 75 percent of people between the ages of 20 and 64 in work unless enough women are encouraged to enter, or remain in, the workforce. Here are seven factors the new EU Commissioners responsible for gender equality and employment must address.

Melinda Mills, Stijn Hoorens @StijnHoorens

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Reflecting on Gender Equality in Europe

With the United Nations 2014 International Women's Day theme being “Equality for Women is Progress for All,” it is a time to reflect on progress made, raise awareness of the struggles that women and men still face, and consider how best these challenges could be addressed.

Barbara Janta