Relationships and Going Places

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 »

Rose Madeline Mula writes: I'm converting it to a post-bucket list; that is, things I plan to do the next time around. First, learn to swim. I'm sure my innards are permanently bleached from swallowing a gazillion gallons of chlorine-laced pool water over a lifetime of trying to learn to stay afloat. I would also like to ski. On real skis next time and not just wooden slats with tipped up ends and leather straps that fit over my old galoshes. But I won't be here in the winter because I'll be visiting my villa in Capri, or my retreat in Maui. more »

Julia Sneden writes: Nowadays, when I have to learn something new, it seems to take forever, and when I take notes, I lose them almost as quickly as I have written them down … which drawer did I put that in? Which drawer in which desk/table/bureau? In which room? What color was the paper I wrote them down on (this is more likely to stick in my brain, and helps if there’s a pile of other bits of paper wherever it was that I put it ...) more »

The Government Accountability Office examined: (1) the trends in and status of marriage and labor force participation in American households, (2) how those trends have affected spousal benefits and retirement savings behavior within households today, and (3) the implications of these trends for future retirement security. From 1960 through 2011, the percentage of women aged 62 and older receiving Social Security benefits based purely on their spouse's (or deceased spouse's) work record declined from 56 to 25. more »