Reconsidering the Gender Pay Gap: A Historical Perspective and the Role of Good Data: The gender pay gap is influenced by more than just discrimination, highlighting the need for a nuanced understanding and thorough examination of historical context and data.
The gender pay gap is not solely due to discrimination against women receiving lower pay for equal work. According to economist Claudia Goldin, who recently won the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for her research on women's labor market outcomes, there are other factors at play. Goldin's extensive research has shown that understanding the roots of the gender pay gap requires a historical perspective. It is crucial to consider whether the pay gap is a temporary blip or a significant issue. Additionally, Goldin emphasizes the importance of good data in reaching these conclusions. This key takeaway challenges the commonly held belief that discrimination is the sole cause of the pay gap, prompting a deeper exploration into the complex factors influencing gender disparities in pay.
Closing the gender pay gap: Despite progress in gender equality, the gender pay gap still exists. While discrimination may play a part, other factors such as work choices and productive attributes contribute to the gap. Addressing it requires a deeper understanding of these factors.
The roles of men and women are becoming more similar in terms of education, professional degrees, and labor-force participation. This convergence in roles has led to increased similarities in how firms and employers view men and women, as well as how individuals perceive themselves. However, despite progress, there is still a gender pay gap, with women earning around 77 cents for every dollar men earn. While some may argue that this is due to discrimination, the evidence for direct discrimination is difficult to find. Instead, economists suggest that other factors, such as differences in productive attributes and work choices, contribute to the pay gap. Therefore, addressing the gender pay gap requires a deeper understanding of these underlying factors.
Exploring Wage Discrimination and Factors Influencing the Gender Pay Gap: Although wage discrimination based on gender exists, when considering various factors, the pay gap between men and women becomes relatively small. However, family responsibilities significantly impact women's career progression and earnings.
While the term "discrimination" is not commonly used anymore, there is evidence of "wage discrimination" based on gender. However, this discrimination is not as prevalent as it may seem. When controlling for various factors, the pay gap between men and women becomes relatively small. Additionally, it is important to note that potential categorical differences between men and women, such as their appetite for competition or willingness to negotiate salaries, do contribute to the pay gap to some extent. However, these differences alone cannot fully account for the significant disparities in pay that are observed in later stages of individuals' careers. This suggests that factors related to family responsibilities, specifically after the birth of a child, have a significant impact on women's career progression and earnings.
The Gender Pay Gap and the Pursuit of Flexibility: The desire for workplace flexibility often leads women to choose jobs with fewer opportunities for advancement, resulting in a gender pay gap.
The pursuit of temporal flexibility plays a significant role in explaining the gender pay gap. Women who take on caregiving responsibilities for their children or other family members often need to work flexibly or part-time, which can result in less favorable assignments, lower raises, and fewer promotions. This desire for flexibility in the workplace leads to a clear division in job selection, with women often choosing jobs that offer more amenities such as flexible hours or the ability to work from home. Even if women and men start their careers on an equal footing, the need for flexibility can cause their paths to diverge, resulting in a gender pay gap.
Understanding the Gender Wage Gap: Occupational Segregation and Within-Occupation Disparities: The gender wage gap is not solely due to occupational segregation but also differences in pay within the same occupation, primarily caused by women working fewer hours or not conforming to preferred schedules.
Women tend to earn less than men not just because they choose lower-paying occupations, but also because they face disparities within each occupation. While occupational segregation plays a role, with women often gravitating towards professions that offer more flexible working hours, the majority of the gender wage gap is caused by differences in pay within the same occupation. Women receive less than men primarily because they work fewer hours or fail to conform to the firm's preferred schedules. In fact, around 75% of the earnings disparity between men and women can be attributed to within-occupation differences. Even if women were to choose the same occupations as men, the gender pay gap would still persist to a significant degree.
Understanding the Reasons behind the Gender Pay Gap: The gender wage gap is influenced by various factors, including occupational choices and preferences for flexibility. Discrimination, although present in some cases, is not the primary reason for the pay gap.
The gender wage gap is not solely a result of discrimination or unequal pay for equal work. When examining different occupations, it becomes clear that the largest wage gaps exist in corporate, finance, law, and certain health professions where self-employment is prevalent. These high-paying roles often require significant temporal flexibility and dedication, which can conflict with family obligations or personal preferences. Women may choose to pursue careers that offer more flexibility, even if it means earning less. Therefore, the gender pay gap should be analyzed by considering various factors, such as occupation choice and the value placed on flexibility. While discrimination may still play a role in some cases, it does not seem to be the primary cause for the observed pay gap.
Addressing the Gender Pay Gap: Beyond Discrimination: Creating equal opportunities and empowering women to negotiate and advocate for themselves is crucial in closing the gender pay gap. It goes beyond eliminating bias and requires changing environments and systems.
The gender pay gap goes beyond outright discrimination. Even in the absence of bias, women often face additional barriers that hinder their ability to negotiate and advocate for themselves. Jennifer Lawrence's experience in the film industry highlights the pressure women feel to be liked and not seem difficult when it comes to salary negotiations. Additionally, a study on blind auditions for orchestras found that the use of screens significantly increased the number of female applicants, suggesting that creating equal opportunities can lead to more women pursuing top-tier positions. This suggests that addressing the gender pay gap requires more than just eliminating discriminatory practices, but also creating environments and systems that empower and encourage women to pursue equal opportunities.
Understanding the Factors Influencing the Gender Pay Gap: Balancing personal choices and societal expectations is crucial in narrowing the gender pay gap. Examples from industries like pharmacy highlight the need for supportive work environments and challenging traditional gender roles for effective change.
The gender pay gap is influenced by a combination of personal choices and societal structures. Women often make choices that lead to lower pay, such as opting for jobs with more flexibility to care for family or pursue personal interests. However, these choices are often not truly optional due to societal norms and expectations. To address the root causes of the gender pay gap, it may be important to look at successful examples, such as the pharmacy industry, where part-time work is not penalized and there is less ownership disparity. This suggests that creating more supportive work environments and challenging traditional gender roles can contribute to closing the pay gap. Offering discounts or symbolic gestures like the ones by M’lady’s Records and the Brooklyn bar may draw attention to the issue, but substantial change requires systemic shifts.
Creating Opportunities and Balance in the Pharmacy Industry: Changes in the pharmacy industry have provided more flexibility and growth opportunities for women. Improving aspects of the school system could help close the gender pay gap.
Changes in the pharmacy industry have made it easier for women to pursue ownership and professional growth. Standardization and information technologies have allowed pharmacists to become interchangeable, reducing the need for a specific pharmacist to cater to individual customers. This has created more flexibility and opportunities for women in the field. Furthermore, the concept of work-life balance, rather than solely focusing on work-family balance, has gained importance in our society. As more individuals value this balance, firms are exploring ways to reduce the cost of providing family-friendly amenities. However, blaming men or institutional setups for the gender pay gap may not be the solution. Instead, improving aspects of the school system, such as extended hours and summer programs, could have a significant impact in closing the gap.
The Benefits of Extending the School Day and Year for Working Families: Encouraging men to take paternity leave and promote shared responsibility in caregiving can lead to a cultural shift that benefits both men and women.
Extending the school day and year for children can greatly benefit working families. While it may come at a cost, this extension is an investment in our public good. However, simply legislating for more equal opportunities or temporal flexibility in firms is not an easy solution. Mandating that firms reduce the cost of temporal flexibility and become more accommodating is not practical. Instead, changes in social norms and encouraging men to take paternity leave can lead to a more balanced playing field. By promoting shared responsibility in caregiving, we can encourage a cultural shift that benefits both men and women. Ultimately, if men were to lean out more and take on greater caregiving responsibilities, it would create a better world for women.
Approaches for Achieving Gender Equity in the Workplace: Addressing multiple factors such as improving women's skills, supporting childcare, changing societal expectations of men, and reforming organizational structures can create a more compassionate and productive society. Achieving complete sameness is not the goal, but promoting evidence-based policies for a better world is.
Achieving gender equity in the workplace requires addressing multiple factors. Claudia Goldin suggests different approaches to tackle the issue, such as improving women's skills, supporting childcare, changing societal expectations of men, and reforming organizational structures. While there may be costs associated with pursuing gender equity, Goldin argues that the benefits outweigh them. Encouraging men to be more involved parents and treating women with respect in their jobs can create a more compassionate and productive society. However, she acknowledges that there will always be differences between men and women, and achieving complete sameness is not the goal. Despite the challenges, Goldin remains committed to doing better research and advocating for evidence-based policies that promote a better world for everyone.
The Hidden Gender Pay Gap: Unveiling Unconscious Discrimination: Women must proactively negotiate their worth to ensure fair compensation and avoid unknowingly accepting lower pay compared to their male counterparts, even when performing the same task.
Gender pay disparities can persist even in cases where discrimination isn't overtly visible in job positions or responsibilities. The narrative shared by economist Claudia Goldin highlights how women can unknowingly accept lower pay compared to their male counterparts, even when performing the same task. This scenario occurred when three consultants were hired to conduct an evaluation, and Goldin, assuming it was a favor, accepted a payment of $2,000. However, she later discovered that the two male consultants had negotiated higher rates and received one and a half to two times her payment. This incident demonstrates the importance of advocating for oneself and ensuring fair compensation by researching and quoting a previously agreed-upon rate rather than allowing organizations to determine pay arbitrarily. It serves as a reminder of the ongoing need for gender pay equality and the need for individuals to be proactive in negotiating their worth.
232. A New Nobel Laureate Explains the Gender Pay Gap (Replay)
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605. What Do People Do All Day?
Sixty percent of the jobs that Americans do today didn’t exist in 1940. What happens as our labor becomes more technical and less physical? And what kinds of jobs will exist in the future?
- SOURCES:
- David Autor, professor of economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
- Paula Barmaimon, manager of coverage and audience analytics at The New York Times.
- Ellen Griesedieck, artist and president of the American Mural Project.
- Adina Lichtman, co-host of the Our Friends Are Smart party.
- Avi Popack, co-host of the Our Friends Are Smart party.
- Huck Scarry, author and illustrator.
- James Suzman, anthropologist and author.
- Ben Varon, rabbi and chaplain at NYU Langone Hospital—Brooklyn .
- RESOURCES:
- "New Frontiers: The Origins and Content of New Work, 1940–2018," by David Autor, Caroline Chin, Anna Salomons, and Bryan Seegmiller (The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 2024).
- Work: A Deep History, from the Stone Age to the Age of Robots, by James Suzman (2020).
- Working: People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do, by Studs Terkel (1974).
- What Do People Do All Day?, by Richard Scarry (1968).
- "Economic Possibilities for our Grandchildren," by John Maynard Keynes (1930).
- American Mural Project.
- EXTRAS:
- "Will the Democrats 'Make America Great Again'?" by Freakonomics Radio (2023).
- "How to Stop Worrying and Love the Robot Apocalypse," by Freakonomics Radio (2021).
- "Did China Eat America’s Jobs?" by Freakonomics Radio (2017).
- People I (Mostly) Admire.
EXTRA: Roland Fryer Refuses to Lie to Black America (Update)
His research on police brutality and school incentives won him acclaim, but also enemies. He was suspended for two years by Harvard, during which time he took a hard look at corporate diversity programs. As a follow-up to our recent series on the Rooney Rule, we revisit our 2022 conversation with the controversial economist.
- SOURCE:
- Roland Fryer, professor of economics at Harvard University.
- RESOURCES:
- "How to Make Up the Covid Learning Loss," by Roland Fryer (Wall Street Journal, 2022).
- "Roland Fryer on Better Alternatives to Defunding the Police," by Roland Fryer (The Economist, 2020).
- "Harvard Suspends Roland Fryer, Star Economist, After Sexual Harassment Claims," by Ben Casselman and Jim Tankersley (The New York Times, 2019).
- "Why Diversity Programs Fail: And What Works Better," by Frank Dobbin and Alexandra Kalev (Harvard Business Review, 2016).
- "An Empirical Analysis of Racial Differences in Police Use of Force," by Roland G. Fryer, Jr (NBER Working Paper, 2016).
- "Getting Beneath the Veil of Effective Schools: Evidence from New York City," by Will Dobbie and Roland G. Fryer (American Economics Journal, 2013).
- "Financial Incentives and Student Achievement: Evidence From Randomized Trials," by Roland G. Fryer (The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 2011).
- "Toward a Unified Theory of Black America," by Stephen J. Dubner (The New York Times, 2005).
- Equal Opportunity Ventures.
- Intus Care.
- Reconstruction.
- Sigma Squared.
- EXTRAS:
- "Did the N.F.L. Solve Diversity Hiring?" series by Freakonomics Radio (2024).
- "The True Story of the Gender Pay Gap," by Freakonomics Radio (2016).
- "Does “Early Education” Come Way Too Late?" by Freakonomics Radio (2015).
604. Did the N.F.L. Solve Diversity Hiring? (Part 2)
What happened when the Rooney Rule made its way from pro football to corporate America? Some progress, some backsliding, and a lot of controversy. (Second in a two-part series.)
- SOURCES:
- Tynesia Boyea-Robinson, president and C.E.O. of CapEQ.
- N. Jeremi Duru, professor of law at American University.
- Herm Edwards, former N.F.L. player and head coach.
- Christopher Rider, professor of entrepreneurial studies at the University of Michigan.
- Jim Rooney, author and co-partner of Rooney Consulting.
- Scott Shephard, general counsel at the National Center for Public Policy Research.
- RESOURCES:
- The Social Impact Advantage: Win Customers and Talent By Harnessing Your Business For Good, by Tynesia Boyea-Robinson (2022).
- A Different Way to Win: Dan Rooney’s Story from the Super Bowl to the Rooney Rule, by Jim Rooney (2019).
- "If There’s Only One Woman in Your Candidate Pool, There’s Statistically No Chance She’ll Be Hired," by Stefanie K. Johnson, David R. Hekman and Elsa T. Chan (Harvard Business Review, 2016).
- "Racial Disparity in Leadership: Performance-Reward Bias in Promotions of National Football League Coaches," by Christopher I. Rider, James Wade, Anand Swaminathan, and Andreas Schwab (SSRN, 2016).
- Advancing the Ball: Race, Reformation, and the Quest for Equal Coaching Opportunity in the NFL, by N. Jeremi Duru (2010).
- EXTRAS:
- "Did the N.F.L. Solve Diversity Hiring? (Part 1)," by Freakonomics Radio (2024).
- “When Is a Superstar Just Another Employee?” by Freakonomics Radio (2023).
- “How Much Does Discrimination Hurt the Economy? (Replay),” by Freakonomics Radio (2023).
603. Did the N.F.L. Solve Diversity Hiring? (Part 1)
The biggest sports league in history had a problem: While most of its players were Black, almost none of its head coaches were. So the N.F.L. launched a hiring policy called the Rooney Rule. In the first episode of a two-part series, we look at how the rule succeeded — until it failed.
- SOURCES:
- N. Jeremi Duru, professor of law at American University.
- Herm Edwards, former N.F.L. player and head coach.
- Jim Rooney, author and co-partner of Rooney Consulting.
- RESOURCES:
- A Different Way to Win: Dan Rooney's Story from the Super Bowl to the Rooney Rule, by Jim Rooney (2019).
- "For ASU's Herm Edwards, Sports Bubble Helped to Overcome Racism Growing Up," by Jeff Metcalfe (The Arizona Republic, 2018).
- Advancing the Ball: Race, Reformation, and the Quest for Equal Coaching Opportunity in the NFL, by N. Jeremi Duru (2010).
- "Differences in the Success of NFL Coaches by Race, 1990-2002: Evidence of Last Hire, First Fire," by Janice Madden (Journal of Sports Economics, 2004).
- EXTRAS:
- "When Is a Superstar Just Another Employee?" by Freakonomics Radio (2023).
- "How Much Does Discrimination Hurt the Economy? (Replay)," by Freakonomics Radio (2023).
EXTRA: In Praise of Maintenance (Update)
We revisit an episode from 2016 that asks: Has our culture’s obsession with innovation led us to neglect the fact that things also need to be taken care of?
- SOURCES:
- Martin Casado, general partner at Andreessen Horowitz.
- Ruth Schwartz Cowan, professor emerita of history and sociology of science at University of Pennsylvania.
- Edward Glaeser, professor of economics at Harvard University.
- Chris Lacinak, founder and president of AVPreserve.
- Andrew Russell, provost of SUNY Polytechnic Institute.
- Lawrence Summers, professor and president emeritus of Harvard University; former Secretary of the Treasury and former director of the National Economic Council.
- Lee Vinsel, professor of science, technology, and society at Virginia Tech.
- RESOURCES:
- “Hail the Maintainers," by Andrew Russell and Lee Vinsel (Aeon, 2016).
- “A Lesson on Infrastructure From the Anderson Bridge Fiasco,” by Lawrence Summers and Rachel Lipson (The Boston Globe, 2016).
- Triumph of the City: How Our Greatest Invention Makes Us Richer, Smarter, Greener, Healthier, and Happier, by Edward Glaeser (2008).
- More Work for Mother: The Ironies of Household Technology from the Open Hearth to the Microwave, by Ruth Schwartz Cowan (1983).
- EXTRAS:
- "Freakonomics Radio Takes to the Skies," series by Freakonomics Radio (2023).
- "Edward Glaeser Explains Why Some Cities Thrive While Others Fade Away," by People I (Mostly) Admire (2021).
- "Why Larry Summers Is the Economist Everyone Hates to Love," by Freakonomics Radio (2017).
602. Is Screen Time as Poisonous as We Think?
Young people have been reporting a sharp rise in anxiety and depression. This maps neatly onto the global rise of the smartphone. Some researchers are convinced that one is causing the other. But how strong is the evidence?
- SOURCES:
- David Blanchflower, professor of economics at Dartmouth College.
- Lauren Oyler, novelist and cultural critic.
- Andrew Przybylski, professor of human behavior and technology at the University of Oxford.
- RESOURCES:
- "The Declining Mental Health Of The Young And The Global Disappearance Of The Hump Shape In Age In Unhappiness," by David G. Blanchflower, Alex Bryson, and Xiaowei Xu (NBER Working Paper, 2024).
- "Further Evidence on the Global Decline in the Mental Health of the Young," by David G. Blanchflower, Alex Bryson, Anthony Lepinteur, and Alan Piper (NBER Working Paper, 2024).
- No Judgment: Essays, by Lauren Oyler (2024).
- "To What Extent are Trends in Teen Mental Health Driven by Changes in Reporting?" by Adriana Corredor-Waldron and Janet Currie (Journal of Human Resources, 2024).
- The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness, by Jonathan Haidt (2024).
- "Global Well-Being and Mental Health in the Internet Age," by Matti Vuorre and Andrew K. Przybylski (Clinical Psychological Science, 2023).
- "Are Mental Health Awareness Efforts Contributing to the Rise in Reported Mental Health Problems? A Call to Test the Prevalence Inflation Hypothesis," by Lucy Foulkes and Jack L. Andrews (New Ideas in Psychology, 2023).
- "The Association Between Adolescent Well-Being and Digital Technology Use," by Amy Orben and Andrew K. Przybylski (Nature Human Behaviour, 2019).
- iGen: Why Today's Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy — and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood — and What That Means for the Rest of Us, by Jean M. Twenge (2017).
- EXTRAS:
- "Are You Caught in a Social Media Trap?" by Freakonomics Radio (2024).
- "Are We Getting Lonelier?" by No Stupid Questions (2023).
- "Is Facebook Bad for Your Mental Health?" by Freakonomics, M.D. (2022).
- "Why Is U.S. Media So Negative? (Replay)," by Freakonomics Radio (2022).
601. Multitasking Doesn’t Work. So Why Do We Keep Trying?
Only a tiny number of “supertaskers” are capable of doing two things at once. The rest of us are just making ourselves miserable, and less productive. How can we put the — hang on a second, I've just got to get this.
Come see Stephen Dubner live!
“A Questionable Evening: A strategic interrogation from two people who ask questions for a living,” featuring Stephen Dubner and PJ Vogt from Search Engine.
Thursday, Sept. 26th, at the Bell House in Brooklyn, NY.
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/a-questionable-evening-evening-with-stephen-dubner-and-pj-vogt-tickets-1002544747327
- SOURCES:
- Olivia Grace, senior product manager at Slack.
- Gloria Mark, professor of computer science at the University of California, Irvine.
- David Strayer, professor of cognition and neural science at the University of Utah.
- RESOURCES:
- "Immersion in Nature Enhances Neural Indices of Executive Attention," by Amy S. McDonnell and David L. Strayer (Nature: Scientific Reports, 2024).
- "Contribution to the Study on the ‘Right to Disconnect’ From Work. Are France and Spain Examples for Other Countries and E.U. Law?" by Loïc Lerouge and Francisco Trujillo Pons (European Labour Law Journal, 2022).
- "Task Errors by Emergency Physicians Are Associated With Interruptions, Multitasking, Fatigue and Working Memory Capacity: A Prospective, Direct Observation Study," by Johanna I. Westbrook, Magdalena Z. Raban, Scott R. Walter, and Heather Douglas (BMJ Quality & Safety, 2018).
- "Supertaskers: Profiles in Extraordinary Multitasking Ability," by Jason M. Watson and David L. Strayer (Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 2010).
- "The Effects of Video Game Playing on Attention, Memory, and Executive Control," by Walter R. Boot, Arthur F. Kramer, Daniel J. Simons, Monica Fabiani, and Gabriele Gratton (Acta Psychologica, 2008).
- "'Constant, Constant, Multi-Tasking Craziness': Managing Multiple Working Spheres," by Victor M. González and Gloria Mark (Proceedings of the 2004 Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, CHI, 2004).
- EXTRAS:
- "Why Is the U.S. So Good at Killing Pedestrians?" by Freakonomics Radio (2023).
- "Why Did You Marry That Person?" by Freakonomics Radio (2022).
- "How Much Should We Be Able to Customize Our World?" by No Stupid Questions (2021).
What Is the Future of College — and Does It Have Room for Men? (Update)
Educators and economists tell us all the reasons college enrollment has been dropping, especially for men, and how to stop the bleeding. (Part 3 of our series from 2022, “Freakonomics Radio Goes Back to School.”)
- SOURCES:
- Zachary Bleemer, assistant professor of economics at Princeton University and faculty research fellow at the National Bureau of Economic Research.
- D'Wayne Edwards, founder and President of Pensole Lewis College.
- Catharine Hill, former president of Vassar College; trustee at Yale University; and managing director at Ithaka S+R.
- Pano Kanelos, founding president of the University of Austin.
- Amalia Miller, professor of economics at the University of Virginia.
- Donald Ruff, president and C.E.O. of the Eagle Academy Foundation.
- Morton Schapiro, professor of economics and former president of Northwestern University.
- Ruth Simmons, former president of Smith College, Brown University, and Prairie View A&M University.
- Miguel Urquiola, professor of economics at Columbia University.
- RESOURCES:
- "What Gay Men’s Stunning Success Might Teach Us About the Academic Gender Gap," by Joel Mittleman (The Washington Post, 2022).
- "We Can't Wait for Universities to Fix Themselves. So We're Starting a New One," by Pano Kanelos (Common Sense, 2021).
- "Academic Freedom in Crisis: Punishment, Political Discrimination, and Self-Censorship," by Eric Kaufmann (Center for the Study of Partisanship and Ideology, 2021).
- “A Generation of American Men Give Up on College: ‘I Just Feel Lost’,” by Douglas Belkin (The Wall Street Journal, 2021).
- "Community Colleges and Upward Mobility," by Jack Mountjoy (NBER Working Paper, 2021).
- "Elite Schools and Opting In: Effects of College Selectivity on Career and Family Outcomes," by Suqin Ge, Elliott Isaac, and Amalia Miller (NBER Working Paper, 2019).
- "Leaving Boys Behind: Gender Disparities in High Academic Achievement," by Nicole M. Fortin, Philip Oreopoulos, and Shelley Phipps (NBER Working Paper, 2013).
- EXTRAS:
- "Freakonomics Radio Goes Back to School," series by Freakonomics Radio (2024).
- “'If We’re All in It for Ourselves, Who Are We?'” by Freakonomics Radio (2024).
EXTRA: Why Quitting Is Usually Worth It
Stephen Dubner appears as a guest on Fail Better, a new podcast hosted by David Duchovny. The two of them trade stories about failure, and ponder the lessons that success could never teach.
- SOURCES:
- David Duchovny, actor, director, writer, and musician.
- RESOURCES:
- "Martin Seligman and the Rise of Positive Psychology," by Peter Gibbon (Humanities, 2020).
- "Rick Reilly: ‘Donald Trump Will Cheat You on the Golf Course and Then Buy You Lunch,'" by Donald McRae (The Guardian, 2019).
- "How The X-Files Invented Modern Television," by Emily St. James (Vox, 2018).
- "Happiness & the Gorilla," by Scott Galloway (No Mercy/No Malice, 2018).
- EXTRAS:
- Fail Better with David Duchovny, podcast by Lemonada Media (2024).
- "How to Succeed at Failing," series by Freakonomics Radio (2023).
- "Annie Duke Thinks You Should Quit," by People I (Mostly) Admire (2022).
- "The Upside of Quitting," by Freakonomics Radio (2011).
The University of Impossible-to-Get-Into (Update)
America’s top colleges are facing record demand. So why don’t they increase supply? (Part 2 of our series from 2022, “Freakonomics Radio Goes Back to School.”)
- SOURCES:
- Peter Blair, professor of education at Harvard University and faculty research fellow at the National Bureau of Economic Research.
- Zachary Bleemer, assistant professor of economics at Princeton University and faculty research fellow at the National Bureau of Economic Research.
- Amalia Miller, professor of economics at the University of Virginia.
- Morton Schapiro, professor of economics and former president of Northwestern University.
- Miguel Urquiola, professor of economics at Columbia University.
- RESOURCES:
- “Elite Schools and Opting In: Effects of College Selectivity on Career and Family Outcomes,” by Suqin Ge, Elliott Isaac, and Amalia Miller (Journal of Labor Economics, 2022).
- “Why Don’t Elite Colleges Expand Supply?” by Peter Q. Blair & Kent Smetters (NBER Working Paper, 2021).
- “Lori Loughlin Pleads Guilty via Zoom in College Admissions Case,” by Kate Taylor (The New York Times, 2020).
- Markets, Minds, and Money: Why America Leads the World in University Research, by Miguel Urquiola (2020).
- “To Cheat and Lie in L.A.: How the College-Admissions Scandal Ensnared the Richest Families in Southern California,” by Evgenia Peretz (Vanity Fair, 2019).
- The Case Against Education: Why the Education System Is a Waste of Time and Money, by Bryan Caplan (2018).
- “The World Might Be Better Off Without College for Everyone,” by Bryan Caplan (The Atlantic, 2018).
- “Are Tenure Track Professors Better Teachers?” by David N. Figlio, Morton O. Schapiro, and Kevin B. Soter (NBER Working Paper, 2013).
- “Estimating the Payoff to Attending a More Selective College: An Application of Selection on Observables and Unobservables,” by Stacy Berg Dale and Alan Krueger (NBER Working Paper, 1999).
- "Report on the University’s Role in Political and Social Action," by the Kalven Committee (1967).
- EXTRAS:
- "What Exactly Is College For? (Update)," by Freakonomics Radio (2024).
Related Episodes
232. The True Story of the Gender Pay Gap
Discrimination can't explain why women earn so much less than men. If only it were that easy.
Can We Trust Insurance Companies With Big Data?
Insurance. No one likes it. No one really wants it. We definitely hate paying for it. And why wouldn’t we? Insurance companies are notorious for not wanting to pay out any money on a claim and sometimes dropping people if they do successfully collect on one. After all, insurance companies aren’t really about protecting you, they’re about making money. As the sniveling weasel in The Incredibles put it, “What about our shareholders? Who’s looking out for them, huh?”
As one would expect, insurance companies are always looking to cut their costs. For that, they have turned to data collection and analysis. TARTLE is of course big on data and what we can learn from it. However, we are not fans of the way insurance companies and pretty much everyone else tends to make use of third party data for their purposes. Not only is the sourcing of the data unethical in itself, it can also wind up being discriminatory. Not intentionally, sometimes assumptions are made that are written into the algorithms that analyze the data. Those assumptions may seem like no big deal at first, but they can be processed in such a way that they exclude far more people than intended, people that seem to fit a given profile but in the end differ in certain important ways the algorithm isn’t meant to look for. That’s one of the dangers of completely automating everything. When an AI is running the show, it doesn’t care about any programmed biases, it just does what it is told and does it completely ruthlessly. That is why Connecticut recently reminded insurers in the tiny state that they need to be careful to avoid any sort of discrimination in their use of data. Easier said than done.
To illustrate that, let’s say the insurance company offered a discount to anyone who linked a Whoop or a Fitbit to their insurance account. That might seem innocuous. Certainly, they are sourcing data in a better than normal way since people have to opt in to share it. However, those things on your wrist cost money. Money that not everyone might be able to afford. Just a Whoop subscription runs around $30 a month. How many people are going to be paying that so they can opt into a discount program? Not many, especially since that discount will probably not defray the costs of the subscription.
On one hand, it seems perfectly reasonable to grant a discount to people who are willing to share more of their health data. Why wouldn’t an insurance company want to incentivize that behavior? Of course, they would. On the other hand, not everyone can afford it, as stated above. Which makes this a case of exclusion based on economics. Intentional? Probably not. Not too many people actually wake up in the morning and ask themselves how they can screw over poor people today. Not even people working for an insurance company.
So, what is the solution? How can an insurance company reward customers for sharing their health data without excluding those who can’t afford the necessary devices? TARTLE has exactly the right solution. We offer these companies the chance to reach out directly to their customers. The company can ask its customers on TARTLE to share whatever data they would like and when someone chooses to do so, the company simply pays the person for the data. That is something that virtually anyone can take advantage of. Yes, there are people who can’t afford any sort of device to work with TARTLE on, but if we are being honest, they don’t have insurance anyway. The solutions to that problem are on a whole other level (though there are other ways other organizations can use us to tackle that one). What we offer is the chance for insurance and other companies to interact directly with their customers to get the information they need and for those people to be incentivized. It’s a win/win scenario for everyone willing to take advantage of it.
What’s your data worth? www.tartle.co
Tcast is brought to you by TARTLE. A global personal data marketplace that allows users to sell their personal information anonymously when they want to, while allowing buyers to access clean ready to analyze data sets on digital identities from all across the globe.
The show is hosted by Co-Founder and Source Data Pioneer Alexander McCaig and Head of Conscious Marketing Jason Rigby.
What's your data worth?
Find out at: https://tartle.co/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TARTLE
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TARTLEofficial/
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Twitter: https://twitter.com/TARTLEofficial
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Real Artificial Intelligence Biases
Chuck Nice and Sean Donnelly visit friends and talk about real biases with AI, Breonna Taylor, and how liberal hollywood is anything but liberal with host Marina Franklin
Sean Donnelly: When he’s not catching a nap with his bulldog, Rickles, Sean can be found headlining clubs and festivals all over the country. He has appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman, Conan and NBC’s Last Comic Standing. Sean co-hosts the podcast My Dumb Friends with fellow comedian Dan St. Germain on the All Things Comedy network. He released his debut comedy album “Manual Labor Face” in 2015 on Comedy Central Records. Sean has been featured on the truTV series World’s Dumbest and Almost Genius as well as Adam Devine’s House Party, The Half Hour, Broad City, and Inside Amy Schumer on Comedy Central, Amazon’s Alpha House, GSN’s Lie Detectors, Limitless on CBS, and Billions on Showtime.
Chuck Nice: Chuck Nice is a Philadelphia native and a 18 year veteran of stand up comedy with a rich history in television and radio. For eight years he provided comic relief to the Radio Chick show, bringing the funny to New York’s radio air waves. From that time until present, Chuck has been equally busy making a name for himself on the small screen. He is the host of Buy Like A Mega Millionaire on HGTV, The Juice on Veria Living and The Hot Ten on Centric. Chuck is seen regularly on the Today Show, has guest hosted Joy Behar’s Say Anything and Co-hosted The View. Chuck maintains his radio presence as the co-host of Star Talk Radio with Dr. Neil Degrasse Tyson where he provides humorous commentary on one his favorite subjects...science. He’s the host of ‘Brain Games: On The Road’ on Disney+ - In each episode, host Chuck Nice and show pits two neighborly teams of 4 players against each other in a series of entertaining games designed for endless at home play-along and breezy Brainiac takeaway.
Always hosted by Marina Franklin - One Hour Comedy Special: Single Black Female ( Amazon Prime, CW Network), TBS's The Last O.G, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, Hysterical on FX, The Movie Trainwreck, Louie Season V, The Jim Gaffigan Show, Conan O'Brien, Stephen Colbert, HBO's Crashing, and The Breaks with Michelle Wolf
3: Women @ Work (1): Challenges Faced by Professional Women in the Workplace: Part 1
During this episode, I share my personal journey to understand, come to terms with, and finally stand by and up for women who face bias in the workplace. In 2020, professional women still struggle to be recognized and valued in the workplace. They silence their voices not because of weakness or fear, but because many highly successful professional women work in traditionally male-dominated contexts, where there is little actual interest in the challenges women face in the workplace when it comes to diversity and inclusion. The stories in this episode intend to give voice to some compelling and jaw-dropping stories about women facing real issues related to equity at work.
US Soccer to Close Gender Pay Gap and Contact Lenses Treat Glaucoma
Today's good news: Arielle and Kristy discuss the exciting med-tech advancement involving contact lenses that release glaucoma treatments, then they celebrate how US Soccer and both the men's and women's national teams have come to a historic collective bargaining agreement to finally close the gender pay gap.
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Listen to the Optimist Daily Update with Summers & Kristy - Making Solutions the News!