Employment
The Puzzling Workforce Decline
Marsha Mercer writes: "From World War II to the early 1960s, men 20 to 64 were very, very heavily relied upon" by women and families, Gary Burtless at Brookings said.
Men without a high school diploma were able to hold a stable career and support a family by working in construction and heavy manufacturing. Over the last few decades, many of those jobs have disappeared, and women have become more equal in the workplace.
When manufacturers of cardboard boxes, wire bagel baskets and other products said they needed workers with technological expertise and strong social skills, Maryland officials agreed to set up manufa… more »
Night of the Runaway Wheelchair; A Life-Altering Class
Roberta McReynolds writes: The breeze lifting the hair off my face didn’t originate from any meteorological conditions. It occurred when my wheelchair broke free of my white-knuckled grip at the top of a long ramp, consequently launching me across the parking lot. It felt like I was about to execute an imitation of one of those metal balls in a pinball machine, poised to ricochet off all obstacles in my path, but without the bells and lights. more »
Chris Payne's Photographic Essay, Textiles: Made In America
Chris Payne writes: I pay tribute to the undervalued segment of Americans workers who labor in this manufacturing sector. They are a cross section of young and old, skilled and unskilled, recent immigrants and veteran employees, some of whom have spent their entire working lives in a single factory. Together, they share a quiet pride and dignity, and are proof that manual labor and craftsmanship still have value in the 21st century US economy. more »
One Swedish Solution to the Pay Gap: Be a Man
Sweden is considered one of the most equal countries in the world. However, the gap between men and women’s salaries has hardly changed at all for the past thirty years. At the current pace, it will take more than a century to reach equal pay. To protest against this, Annelie Nordström, President of Sweden’s largest trade union Kommunal, temporarily became a man. more »