

Measuring Economic Disparity








An intersectional approach takes into consideration the fact that people often fit into more than one of these categories. When data are disaggregated this way, the results can inform policies to increase health and economic outcomes of vulnerable groups.





"HELP THE HARDEST HIT"
About WISER
Founded on International Women’s Day 2016, the Women’s Institute for Science, Equity and Race (WISER) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan 501(c)3 research institute. WISER’s mission is to expand women-focused policy research to include the social, economic, cultural, and political well-being of Asian, Black, Hispanic, Indigenous American, and Multiracial women.
WISER believes a microanalysis approach, the disaggregation of data by race, ethnicity and gender, will draw different conclusions for each group, as opposed to the broad umbrella of “women of color.” Using the term “women of color“assumes that Asian, Black, Hispanic, Indigenous American and Multiracial women are a homogeneous group and results in ineffective policies that do not address the needs of the most vulnerable.
WISER advocates for a society where policy research is inclusive of the needs of Asian, Black, Hispanic, Indigenous American, and Multiracial women. We believe the well-being of Asian, Black, Hispanic, Indigenous American, and Multiracial women is vital for economic progress.
WISER Wednesday
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Rhonda V. SharpeA Womb's WorthWhen I heard Pope Francis called for the banning of surrogacy worldwide, I sighed. The state of surrogacy Surrogacy is not legal in Louisiana and Michigan (See Graph 1.) The legality of surrogacy focuses primarily on the payment to the surrogate and parentage. Lauen Danelowski examines the literature on reproductive labor. She posits that...
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Jerry PenderThe Gift of Affordable HousingIn two days, we will enter the last month of 2023. Every year seems to go by even faster than the year before. Although this year has certainly brought its struggles, I want to focus during this time of giving on the progress we are making in our communities on...
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Rhonda V. SharpeI Will Not Shed A TearThis week, we anticipate the decision in the affirmative action cases Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. Harvard University and Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. University of North Carolina. It has been 22 years since Justice Sandra Day O'Connor wrote: The Court expects that 25 years from now, the use of...
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Rhonda V. SharpeRegulating Foot PursuitsToday the Nichols family funeralized Tyre Nichols, a father, a son, an avid skateboarder, and a Black man. The condolences and statements will pour in from all over the world, expressing sadness, grief, and outrage that the police brutally killed another Black American. Calls for police reform will again be at...
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Himaja C. NimmagaddaThe Unexpected Impact of Digital PrivacyDigital Privacy Day is January 28th, making this Digital Privacy Week. While this may not mean much for those outside the cybersecurity community, it is essential to recognize data privacy affects everyone every day. It is time to think about digital privacy and safety with the same care and respect as...
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Rhonda V. SharpeIt Is A New YearA new year brings excitement about new beginnings – a new congress, new legislation (minimum wage increases for several states), new healthy habits, and new opportunities to advocate for a more equitable society. I am excited about our partnership with the Family Economic Mobility Division of Share Our Strength. WISER will provide data analysis that...
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Rhonda V. Sharpe365 Days To ShareToday, I'll wrap up the portrait of the men and women in Himaja, Jerry, and my age categories with at least a bachelor's degree. Many of the top 5 paid occupations for women are in the medical or finance (insurance) field. Table 1. Median Income for Top Paid Occupations by Age Category...
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Rhonda V. SharpeWinter SolsticeSchools have closed for winter break. For many, today is the last workday before Christmas, for those who celebrate. As promised, I continue with the portrait of the men and women in Himaja, Jerry, and my age categories with at least a bachelor's degree. Despite the rhetoric about the differences between...
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Jerry PenderHome For The HolidaysOn December 8th, a little over two weeks before Christmas, Brittney Griner returned home from her detainment in Russia. After 10 long months, she is finally back with her friends and family. However, what should have been an overall joyous occasion has been somewhat marred by controversy on whether the US paid...
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Rhonda V. SharpeTo Be Or Not To 25 AgainHimaja's birthday is December 12. She'll be 25 (Gen Z). Jerry's birthday is 1/1; he'll be 40 (Millenial). I have fond memories of being 25. Given the restriction on reproductive justice, I am relieved to have those years behind me and would not want to repeat them, even with what I know...
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Rhonda V. SharpeMuch To Be Thankful ForOver inflation and thru the broken supply chains to family houses, we go.To eat turkey with fixings, chicken, mac & cheese, and pie made of sweet potatoSocial distance will be spared so hugs can be sharedWith faces unmasked, smiles won’t be impairedWe will recite our “thankful list”And break the turkey...
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Himaja C. NimmagaddaLeave No One OfflineLast Tuesday, I attended an election night party for Wes Moore and Aruna Miller, now governor-elect and lieutenant governor-elect of Maryland. It was a night of firsts; Wes Moore became the first Black elected as governor of Maryland, and Aruna Miller became the first South Asian person elected lieutenant governor...
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Rhonda V. SharpeSenior and Poverty (Part 2)Last week, I shared sex-disaggregated data that showed how the increase in the number of seniors in poverty affected women. Table 1 provides the net growth in the number of seniors by race/ethnicity and gender. Black men (14%) and White men (58%) comprise 72% of the net growth for the...
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Himaja C. NimmagaddaThe Value Of Seeing YourselfAs an organization that advocates for a society where policy research is inclusive of the needs of Asian, Black, Hispanic, Indigenous American, and Multiracial women, we believe in the importance of seeing yourself in the data. October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month. The theme this year is "See Yourself in Cyber." It...
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Jerry PenderAnother Chance: Changing The NarrativeLast week I had the pleasure of attending the 2022 Palm Beach County Reentry Summit held in West Palm Beach, FL. The conference was terrific, and the people in attendance were even better. Since joining this community and starting my nonprofit, I have met wonderful people doing great work helping...
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Rhonda V. SharpeIPOD ProgramIt is hard to believe how quickly a year has gone by. This weekend, we bring in our second cohort of the Inclusive, Peer, Onsite, Distance Mentoring Program. The IPOD Program is a unique project at WISER to diversify the economics pipeline. Supported by generous funding from the Peter G. Peterson Foundation,...
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Jerry PenderBan the BoxOne of the most important benefits of ban-the-box on rental applications would be to increase the odds of obtaining public housing, which is more affordable than private rental units. For renters, many affordable housing programs such as Section 8 public housing or Section 41 housing projects will deny applications...
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Jerry PenderThe WNBA's Missing StarThe Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) All-Star Game will be missing one of its biggest stars, Brittney Griner. A seven-time All-Star, Griner was detained by Russian authorities in February for having vape cartridges containing marijuana concentrate hashish oil, an offense punishable by up to 10 years in a penal colony. Griner,...
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Himaja C. NimmagaddaReproductive FreedomAs of June 30th, these are the states in the United States in which abortion is entirely or mostly banned following the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade last Friday, June 24, 2022. The states in burgundy have banned abortion in most cases. The states in blue have temporarily...
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Rhonda V. SharpePositives to NegativesWomen’s History Month is a time for me to celebrate another year of WISER’s existence. I reflect on what we’ve accomplished and get energized about our mission. But it is also the month that I am reminded of the many ways society does not value women like me. Usually, I...
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Jerry PenderMilitary MeritocracyOn March 11, another 150 soldiers departed from Hunter Army Airfield for Europe. Their mission is to train alongside military units of NATO allies in a display of force aimed at deterring further aggression by Russia. They will join the other nearly 12,000 U.S. service members ordered to Europe by...
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Rhonda V. SharpeIt Is Our 6th BirthdayImagine a gender equal world. A world with equal access to healthcare that produces equal health outcomes. A world with equal labor market and education opportunities. A world without gender identity normative behavior. A world where women are not the property of their families. A world...
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Rhonda V. SharpeAcceptable TradeoffsTradeoffs are a key concept I’ve taught in introductory and intermediate economics. Tradeoffs, both theoretically and practically, must be understood. For example, if you provide a woman access to the full scope of health care, which includes full access to reproductive health services, she controls when and if she has children,...
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Himaja C. NimmagaddaHow much for a bunch of onions?The conversation around poverty often lacks nuance. As per federal standards, even a penny above the threshold (poverty line) and you are no longer considered to be living in poverty. It takes more than a penny to fundamentally change living conditions, life expectancy, educational attainment, food, housing, and income insecurity.
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Jerry PenderFair Housing for AllWhile all ex-offenders could be at a greater risk of homelessness, women ex-offenders, in general, are particularly vulnerable. The effects could be insurmountable for minority women who are often released into low-income, disadvantaged communities. Furthermore, the explosion in the prison population over the last 20 years has drastically increased the...
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Jerry PenderA Supply Chain ApproachExpecting the market to self-correct due to the injection of temporary income boosters for teachers is a mistake. This article explains some of the issues in the child care industry that prevent it from operating in any sustainable way without intentional policies and procedures set in place to help the...
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Rhonda V. SharpeHappy Lunar New Year!It has been a year since President Biden signed the Executive Order On Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government, requiring data disaggregation. Yet, CDC COVID-19 data still are not disaggregated in a way that allows policymakers to see how age, ethnicity, race, and gender...
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Rhonda V. SharpeFor the sake of my kids: I quitThe Employment Situation Summary for December will be released on Friday, January 7, 2021, and will allow us to analyze a full calendar year of employment changes during the pandemic. Many will be looking to see how women’s unemployment and labor force participation rates have changed. December’s numbers may also...
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Rhonda V. SharpeStoryboards and MathWorksAs the year comes to a close, we have good news. Leo Lee nominated WISER to receive a donation from MathWorks. At MathWorks, employees vote on which nonprofits received contributions. His colleagues watched the storyboard he created and voted. I am happy to announce that WISER received enough votes to receive a...
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Himaja C. NimmagaddaBeauty and The CasteThe politics of beauty pageants bring to question (Indian) society’s complicated relationship with Euro-centric aesthetic homogeneity. Code Switch by NPR tells us that decisions about who society holds up as beautiful also have a lot to do with class. Historian Nell Irvin Painter notes that many of the things we consider beautiful are just...
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Jerry PenderThe Hardest Work One Will Ever Have To DoA few weeks ago, on November 17, I was riding in my truck about 12:30 PM – 1 O'clock. A song came on the radio "100 Shots" by Young Dolph. Little did I know, as my friend and I were discussing the well-known rapper and his song, that Young Dolph would lose his...
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Rhonda V. SharpeGiving TuesdayToday is #GivingTuesday. I encourage you to donate to an organization making a difference for marginalized populations. I believe WISER is one of those organizations and would appreciate a donation. Meta is matching donations up to $8 mil, so check out Facebook for organizations to support. I have a Facebook donation page for WISER. However,...
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Rhonda V. SharpeGiving Thanks from Brunswick to WaukeshaI am thankful that more parade attendees were not killed in Waukesha, WI. I am thankful that the jury verdicts in the Kyle Rittenhouse vs. The State of Wisconsin and Gregory McMichael vs. The State of Georgia; Travis McMichael vs. the State of Georgia; and William Bryan Jr. vs. The State of Georgia did not lead to further unrest. I am...
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Rhonda V. SharpeMeasuring Economic DisparityTomorrow: Chairman Himes to Hold Bipartisan Select Committee Roundtable on Measuring Economic Disparity Nov 16, 2021Press Release Event Will Provide an Opportunity for Select Committee Members to Hear from Experts on the Measurement of Economic Well-Being WASHINGTON – Tomorrow, on Wednesday, November 17, 2021, from 10:00 – 11:30am ET, Congressman Jim Himes (CT-04), the...
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Jerry PenderHappy Veterans DayToday is Veterans Day in America. Veterans Day originated as "Armistice Day" on November 11, 1919, to celebrate the anniversary of the end of World War I. In 1954, President Eisenhower officially changed the name to Veterans Day. Although Veterans Day is meant to celebrate both living and deceased American veterans, it's...
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Himaja C. NimmagaddaHappy DiwaliThis year, Diwali occurs just after an election cycle, and who is elected will have implications for reproductive rights and reproductive justice. If the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, it could put safe, legal abortion out of reach for one-third of women. Attacks on abortion access disproportionately affect lower-income Asian, Black, Hispanic, Native...
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Rhonda V. SharpeTrick or TreatToday, I participated in a webinar sponsored by the American Association for Blacks in Higher Education (AABHE). It was an opportunity to educate administrators, faculty, and graduate students about datasets that can be leveraged to increase access to higher education, advocate for or propose higher education policies, and advance promotion or...
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Himaja C. NimmagaddaNetflix, Squid Games, and A Gender GapYesterday, Rhonda was on the BBC’s Business Matters discussing South Korea’s potential lawsuit against Netflix. Squid Games, Netflix’s most recent success, overwhelmed South Korea’s broadband. While some have questioned if such a lawsuit violates net neutrality, she questioned the impact on creativity. Will Netflix continue to purchase scripts they believe will be a hit? If...
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Jerry PenderAn Unnecessary RoadblockWe find throughout history, policies that were meant for good can sometimes produce unexpected negative consequences. I believe two unrelated policies have created a vital roadblock to prosperity for families from lower-income communities. These policies play an important role in whether an increasing number of ex-offenders who are women will...
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Rhonda V. SharpeJust Checking InLast week, I did not send out a WISER on Wednesday as usual. Surprisingly, I didn't receive an email or phone call asking why. I am fine. However, for the 20.6 million Americans age 55 plus who lived alone in 2019, a routine with someone checking on them is invaluable. On September...
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Rhonda V. SharpeHidden in the dataLast weekend we hosted the opening event for the Inclusive Peer Onsite Distance mentoring Program. Himaja told you about it in last week’s WISER Wednesday email. After the event, several students remained. I thought it was because they had questions, and some did. But many remained to hear me talk. One...
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Himaja C. NimmagaddaA StrengthLast night, I found the business card Rhonda gave me when we met a few years ago at a Women in Economics Conference hosted at the Richmond Federal Reserve Bank. It was a conference I was not even supposed to attend. I had been so bogged down in the weeks leading up to...
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Jerry PenderChild Care Workers“Number of child care workers declines in Georgia” – Courier Journal; “Staffing shortages wreak havoc on child care industry” – News 5 Cleveland; Iowa child care centers struggle to find staff” – KCRG. All over the country, the issue of adequate staffing continues to be a challenge for the child care industry. Unlike...
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Rhonda V. SharpePolicies Constrain ChoicesOn Sunday, Hurricane Ida made landfall in New Orleans as a Category 4 hurricane. The third hurricane to hit the Louisiana in a year. Last year when Hurricane Laura made landfall, Louisiana had one of the highest per capita COVID-19 infection rates. The same was true when Hurricane Ida made landfall in Louisiana. It seems that some...
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Rhonda V. SharpeA fresh startYesterday was my first day back in the classroom since spring break 2020, March 5. To say I had reservations is an understatement. I had more anxiety about returning to the classroom during the pandemic than I remember having my first day as a newly minted Ph.D. entering the classroom at...
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Himaja C. NimmagaddaAre You Connected?Broadband access is finally getting the attention it has always needed. But even this is not enough. A survey conducted in November 2019 by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration takes a look at the digital divide- which refers to the gap between individuals’, households’, and businesses’ opportunities to access information and...
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Rhonda V. SharpeHidden in the aggregateIt is officially Summer! Educators, students, and parents have made it through another year of virtual, hybrid, and in-person teaching (social distancing and masked). Woo! Woo! It is the time of year when I'd be attending the International Association for Feminist Economists (IAFFE) annual conference, which is being held in Quito,...
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Rhonda V. SharpeThe Truth Shall Set You FreeI hope many of you had an opportunity to catch either the "Data Infrastructure for the 21st Century: A Focus on Racial Equity" webinar or "Democracy, Race, and Justice: The Speeches and Writing of Sadie T.M. Alexander" book launch webinar. But if you missed it, allow me to do a...
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Rhonda V. SharpeFairness is the Right of the Weakest - UnknownTomorrow marks the 58th anniversary of the Equal Pay Act of 1963. Yesterday, the Senate failed to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act, which "addresses wage discrimination on the basis of sex, which is defined to include pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics." My takeaway from the WISER Dialogue with Alicia Netterville is that legislation...
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Rhonda V. SharpeWe Are a Landscape of All We Have Seen. Isamu NoguchiI am excited to announce that our partnership with Howard University’s Economics Department to provide inclusive, peer, on-site, and distance (IPOD) mentoring received a $1.9 million grant from the Peter G. Peterson Foundation. This funding will allow WISER to support alumni of the American Economic Association Summer Training Program with professional development...
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Rhonda V. SharpeThe beauty of disaggregating dataOver the past week, I had the opportunity to share my thoughts about disaggregating data as a guest on NPR’s Marketplace, as part of the Equity Series Panel, “Measuring What we Value: Bridging Gaps in Data and Reporting on Race and Ethnicity,” Ways and Means Committee, and as a guest on the Malveaux...
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Rhonda V. SharpeFortified with GraceYesterday, I was also a panelist for the “Helping Women Get Back to Work” webinar sponsored by the MOSAIC Project and Progressive Policy Institute. Senator Gillibrand kicked off the webinar, and I was thrilled to hear her speak about “care” work as inclusive of parental care. Veronica Goodman, the moderator, asked...
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Rhonda V. SharpeTrue restorationThe verdict - Chauvin is guilty of all charges. Attorney Ellison reminded us that “justice implies true restoration.” George Floyd’s life was not restored with the verdict. The Floyd family was not restored with the verdict. Yesterday shortly after the verdict was read, a Columbus police officer shot and killed teenager Ma’Khia Bryant. Justice is what...
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Rhonda V. SharpeUniquely situated to speak about who?When I am asked to speak, it is often about issues that affect Black women. I remind the person extending the invitation that we are not B-WISER, the Black Women’s Institute for Science, Equity and Race. But recently, I have been thinking. Can I speak about Asian, Hispanic, Native American, and...
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Himaja C. NimmagaddaA Silent SymbolMillennial and Gen-Z Asian Americans are more likely to speak out against violence and racism than their parents or grandparents, whose generations have held closely to the perceived safety of the “model minority.” That title was given to Asian Americans in the mid-1960s by politicians who wanted to encourage division among minority...
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Rhonda V. SharpeExpanding the Definition of a Hate CrimeThis week, we released a short brief about Southeast Asian women, written by Himaja Nimmagadda. She points out that the failure to disaggregate data erases the lived experiences of Asians who come to America as immigrants vs. refugees. These differences can be seen in education attainment and occupations within the...
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Rhonda V. SharpeSticks and Stones May Break My BonesWe were all saddened and horrified by last night’s mass murder of a man and seven women, six of whom were Asian, at three massage parlors in Atlanta. This tragedy is another example of both the violence against women during the pandemic and the increased violence against Asian Americans. The...
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Rhonda V. Sharpe"With Better Data and Increased Awareness..."On International Women’s Day 2021, President Biden signed an Executive Order on Establishment of the White House Gender Policy Council. Couple this with the Executive Order for Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government, and I am optimistic that we may see a change in the way data...
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Rhonda V. SharpeHappy International Women's DayThe theme for International Women's Day 2021 is #ChooseToChallenge. Five years ago, I chose to challenge the way women-focused research is done and created the Women's Institute for Science, Equity and Race. On social media, we posted the following We My conversation with Nicole MartinRogers, Senior Research Manager, Wilder Research, is available on YouTube. Nicole shares...
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Rhonda V. Sharpe5 Days 'til WISER is 5!On Monday, WISER will celebrate its 5th birthday! Below is a snippet from my conversation with Nicole MartinRogers about the importance of disaggregating data. Click the picture to watch. I'll share the full video on Monday, International Women's Day. Be well,Rhonda
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Rhonda V. SharpeSomething To Think About Besides HomeworkThe conversation about k-12 schools reopening is an opportunity to revisit essential vs. expendable workers. Education Week data shows that in 20 states, teachers are not a profession given priority for the vaccine (See map below). We’ve been in this pandemic for over a year, and yet teachers who deliver education (learning),...
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Rhonda V. SharpeWe Are All in This TogetherRecently, discussion about the stimulus (relief) check has focused on income thresholds. Before I move on, let me first define a stimulus check versus a relief check. The purpose of a “stimulus check is to increase demand from consumers and grow the economy. A “relief check” is a subsidy to replace...
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Rhonda V. SharpeLet's Celebrate All YearIt is Black History Month! This month we see a myriad of facts and figures about the Blacks in America, much of which will be focused on American Descendants of Slaves (#ADOS). Recently, when talking to a former Board member, I expressed disappointment about not being invited to give a keynote...
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Rhonda V. SharpeSitting With the UncomfortableA study conducted with Omari Swinton, Chair of the Economics Department at Howard, found that most students who complete the doctorate in economics also studied economics as undergrads. Therefore, increasing the diversity of the undergraduate degrees conferred in economics has consequences for those who complete the doctorate in economics.
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Rhonda V. SharpeWhose Shoulders Do You Stand On?Usually, this time of year, I am euphoric. I'd be returning home from attending the Allied Social Sciences Association meetings, the annual get-together of economists. I know what you're thinking–it sounds like a good time. The meetings allow me to interact with Black and feminist economists and hear young...
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Rhonda V. Sharpe"Ring out the false, ring in the true." —Alfred Lord Tennyson"Is it possible that the square root of impossible is me?"—“Square Root of Possible," Jingle Jangle When I started WISER in March 2016, it felt like an impossible dream. WISER will celebrate its 5th anniversary in March 2021. WE will continue to focus our energy on building a new standard for...
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Rhonda V. Sharpe"Giving Is Not Just About Making a Donation."On this eve of Christmas Eve, we celebrate the arrival of vaccines from several pharmaceutical companies and the signing of a much-needed COVID relief bill. Yet, we cannot gloss over the disproportionate effect of COVID-19 on Asian, Black, Hispanic, Indigenous American, and Multiracial women. The pandemic has led to job...
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Rhonda V. Sharpe"Everything stinks till it’s finished," said Dr. SeussI have been a bit perplexed about the response to Joseph Epstein's op-ed suggesting the following: "As for your Ed.D., Madame First Lady, hard-earned though it may have been, please consider stowing it, at least in public, at least for now. Forget the small thrill of being Dr. Jill and settle for the...
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Rhonda V. SharpeWho Is In Your Clinical Trial?Yesterday, I was interviewed about the medical mistrust among the African-American community concerning the COVID-19 vaccine. Mr. Hoggard had interviewed me earlier in the summer about a study on North Carolina's sterilization program. A population that I am concerned about are those with sickle cell disease (SCD). According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC),...
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Rhonda V. Sharpe#GivingTuesdayToday is #GivingTuesday, the unofficial day for giving to nonprofits, charitable organizations, and other NGOs. The Salvation Army has seen an increase in requests for support and a decrease in donations. As COVID-19 cases continue to increase, the potential for another shutdown is likely in our future; therefore, families supported by the Salvation...
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Rhonda V. SharpeHappy ThanksgivingToday, I am thankful that transition funds have been released and that an effective vaccine is in America’s near future. And yet, I am saddened by the rising number of Americans who will be thankful to be alive after contracting the coronavirus. If you are traveling to celebrate Thanksgiving, please...
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Rhonda V. SharpeMakes Me Want To HollerI’ve avoided talking about the elephants in the room, the election, and the increase in COVID-19 cases. But the daily reports of the status of a coronavirus vaccine, the increase in COVID-19 cases, which includes over one million children, and the President’s unwillingness to concede and begin the transition process...
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Rhonda V. SharpeHow Do You Model Inclusion?This morning, during my Business Statistics class, I checked in with my students about election results. As we’ve just finished creating confidence intervals, the results were a good starting point. Students commented about the sample used for the polls versus who voted. I am happy to report that their answers...
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Rhonda V. SharpeThe World Is a Brilliant, Resilient PlaceMonday night, as I watched Judge Amy Coney Barrett take the official Constitutional Oath, a sadness rushed over me. I shared with a graduate school classmate that the possibility of Roe v. Wade being sent back to the states was terrifying to me. My classmate replied, I think women my age know better...
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Rhonda V. SharpeEconomic and Educational OutcomesIt has been an exciting week. On Monday, I participated in a webinar hosted by the Progress Policy Institute's Mosiac Initiative titled, "Bringing Diversity to Economic Thought." On Friday, I will lead a discussion for the Lehigh-Northampton Chapter of Pennsylvania Association for the Education of Young Children on how quality, affordable child care is an essential...
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Rhonda V. SharpeHispanic vs. LatinoOctober 15th concludes Hispanic Heritage Month. I’d hope to share a WISER Dialogue video with Dr. Nancy Lopez, but we encountered a glitch with the recording. So instead, I’ll share three key points from our conversation. Hispanic is used to identify people of Spanish ancestry or colonization; therefore, it is an...
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Rhonda V. SharpeFamily Care Plus Work In A PandemicThe consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic seem to be never-ending. The death toll is likely to be 215,000 American lives lost by weeks end. The death toll was 211K as of today. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported 12.6 million Americans were unemployed in September, increasing 4.4 percentage points since February. Or...
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Rhonda V. SharpeBLS Disaggregate The DataWe are nine months into the COVID-19 pandemic, and today was the first day that I felt a sense of despair. This morning, I told my students it really feels like “Hump Day.” I suspect some of the gloom I feel stems from the presidential debate, some from the anticipation...
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Rhonda V. SharpeTurning An Impediment To Good FortuneAs the body of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg lies in state at the Supreme Court Building, many will come to pay their final respects and to reflect on her life. I, however, am thinking about the history of the court and the voices that have been absent as justices. In...
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Rhonda V. SharpePoverty and HealthYesterday, the Census Bureau released the annual IncomePoverty and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States reports. There is good news. The median earnings of all women 15 or older who reported earnings increased by nearly 8 percent and by just under 3 percent for women who were full-time workers. Earnings by race...
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Rhonda V. SharpeLending A Helping HandYesterday, I spent time with my little friend, Kaylee. It was her sister’s first day of online school, and Kaylee didn’t want to be a distraction. Kaylee attends school in a different district, and the first day of school for older children, 3rd graders and above is today. Kaylee and I did...
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Rhonda V. SharpeHumble vs. HumiliationBut I am also reminded that many this Labor Day weekend will have worked hard and will still find themselves without health care coverage to receive treatment for any illness, not just COVID-19. They will have worked hard and will find themselves without an adequate unemployment system to replace wages. ...
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Rhonda V. SharpeAin't I A WomanAs Laura strengthens into a Category 4 hurricane, many students are returning or are already on campus. Changes to Title IX rules may put students at risk for more than the coronavirus as they return to campus. Castellar and Basynat outline the potential consequences of two changes: live testimony and cross-examination and...
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Rhonda V. SharpeSmall Business FragilityLast week, I participated in the "Ensuring the Economy Works for Black Women" webinar hosted by the Women's Initiative, Center for American Progress. One of the questions from the audience was if data disaggregation is about data collection or analysis. The answer is both. Surveys must ask questions about race,...
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Rhonda V. SharpeA Perfect StormOn Saturday, we kicked off our WISER Women Campaign! The WISER Women Campaign has several goals and ways you can support our efforts. You can support us financially. This year we are asking our community, "Has a woman been influential in your life?" Who is the first woman you think of?...
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Rhonda V. SharpeBuilding a WISER Generation of WomenOn Saturday, we kicked off our WISER Women Campaign! The WISER Women Campaign has several goals and ways you can support our efforts. You can support us financially. This year we are asking our community, "Has a woman been influential in your life?" Who is the first woman you think of? Consider...
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Rhonda V. SharpeDefining Who is VulnerableAs the pandemic raged, our focus shifted from those with fragile health to the economically vulnerable. We applauded, despite some shortcoming, the passage of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which provided $1,200 to economically vulnerable individuals and families, support for businesses under the Payroll Protection Plan...
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Rhonda V. SharpeEssential vs. ExpendableYou are hearing from me later than usual because I wanted to share an interview about research conducted with Gregory Price (University of New Orleans) and William (Sandy) Darity (Duke University) about the state of North Carolina's sterilization law, which operated from 1928 until 1977. North Carolina's sterilization law was unique in...
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Rhonda V. SharpeDefining a Policy Agenda for Women of ColorIn preparing for WISER's semi-annual board meeting this weekend, I came across materials from our first convening, WISER Dialogue: Defining a Policy Agenda for Women of Color." The convening brought together the following experts: Nina Banks, Associate Professor of Economics, Bucknell University. Sacha Blalock, Program Coordinator, Center for Entrepreneurial Studies, Bennett College. Cruz Bueno,...
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Rhonda V. SharpeProtect Women’s Preventive ServicesToday, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Little Sisters of the Poor v. Pennsylvania, 7 to 2, that the Trump administration can allow employers "with sincerely held moral convictions" or religious beliefs to deny contraception coverage to female workers. Employers seek to restrict a woman's access to the full range of...
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Rhonda V. SharpeGuess What Day It Is?We kick off "WISER Wednesday" with the blog Health Insurance Coverage for Immigrant Hispanic Women in the U.S. written by summer research assistant Khushi Basnyat. Khushi examines the health care coverage for immigrant Hispanic women and why the Health Equity and Access under the Law (HEAL) for Immigrant Women and Families Act, introduced...
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Rhonda V. SharpeStatement of SolidarityI am delighted to report that 1,800 people registered for the webinar, “Rebuilding the House That Anti-Blackness Built in Our COVID Response.” You can watch the webinar here. I was quoted in a New York Times article and will be a guest on NPR’s “Marketplace” on Monday evening. I’ll be talking about the...
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Rhonda V. SharpeRegister Today: Rebuilding the House that Racism Built in Our COVID ResponseJoin us in a webinar led by Black and Brown women, and hear findings from the Economic Policy Institute's upcoming report, which highlights the economic and health insecurity that COVID-19 presents for Black workers and their families and why that unequal burden was predictable given a long history of racial...
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Rhonda V. SharpeOur Summer InternsI'd like to introduce WISER's summer interns. Khushi Basnyat was born in Lalitpur, Nepal but now resides in Charlotte, North Carolina. Valentina Castellar is a first-generation immigrant/college student from Ibagué, Colombia, majoring in Business Administration and minoring in Music and Chinese Studies at the University of Richmond. shley Zehrt was born in Mobile, Alabama and raised in Virginia....
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Rhonda V. SharpeCARES Act Round TwoOn Friday, I Tweeted that none of the news stories or reports I could find mentioned that White women were disproportionately represented in the unemployment numbers for April. A New York Times article and National Women's Law Center fact sheet focused on the share of women's unemployment rate, 55%, and on the unemployment rate for...
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Rhonda V. SharpeHappy Mother's DayFriday's unemployment report showed 20.5 million Americans lost their jobs for the month of April, bringing the unemployment rate to 14.7%, the highest ever. Women lost over 12 mil jobs, which can be explained by the job loss in four sectors that employ a large share of women. Hospitality lost 7.7...
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Rhonda V. SharpeToday is #GivingTuesdayNowToday is #GivingTuesdayNow. Please remember to support a nonprofit proving assistance to essential workers. It is also #NationalTeachersDay We celebrate teachers, who during this health crisis, continue to teach and mentor students. " We have a powerful potential in our youth, and we must have the courage to change old ideas and practices so that...
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Rhonda V. Sharpe#GivingTuesdayNowAs states begin to re-open, some will see the increased economic activity as a sign that things will soon be back to normal. However, as Jhumpa Bhattacharya noted in a recent conference call, we do not want to return to “normal.” We want better than normal. Ideally, we want policies that will eliminate...
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Rhonda V. SharpeEssential Workers and COVID-19Last week, I was a guest along with economist Gary Hoover on That Rona Special part 2 - Econ. Gary and I discussed several topics, including the wealth gap. As homeownership is where most individuals hold their wealth, I suggested that homeownership affords owners a form of protection from COVID-19 in...
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Rhonda V. SharpeEquitable Data Collection and InterpretationThis week, Virginia Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner and Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren introduced the bicameral Equitable Data Collection and Disclosure on COVID-19 Act, which would require the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to collect and report racial and other demographic data on COVID-19 testing, treatment, and fatality rates. Additionally,...
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Rhonda V. SharpeInstitutional Racism and DataThe week preceding Easter is called Holy Week. But for many in Detroit, New York City, and New Orleans, it was a grim week as the death toll from COVID-19 set records for consecutive days. On Maundy Thursday, the commemoration of the Last Supper, the number of deaths in New...
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Rhonda V. SharpeFood Injustices and COVID-19In addition to sobering unemployment numbers released today, North Carolina’s Durham Public Schools announced that effective April 7 it will cancel meal distribution due to a worker testing positive for COVID-19. Johnson County Public Schools (also in North Carolina) will discontinue its meal service beginning April 8. North Carolina joins a...
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Rhonda V. SharpeHappy Holidays from the Women's Institute for Science, Equity and RaceAs we wrap-up 2019, I have good news to share. Board Member Rebecca Dixon has been selected to serve as the Executive Director of the National Employment Law Project. Board Member Tamara Jeffries and I were selected as 33 scholars you should know in a Black Enterprise article. I am also excited to have...
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Rhonda V. SharpeWISER's 2017 Year in ReviewThe Women's Institute for Science, Equity and Race hosted "WISER Dialogue: Defining a Policy Agenda for Women of Color." This title reflects WISER’s mission to encourage the creation of more inclusive public policy. The convening brought together eight experts that focus on entrepreneurship; tech eco-systems; racial, ethnic and gender inequality;...
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Rhonda V. SharpeThe Grinch Stole Some Paragraphs - Happy HolidazeIn the busyness of the season and learning a new e-mail system, you received a newsletter that had very confusing first and second paragraphs. Please accept my apology. The errors have been corrected.Then he got an idea! An awful idea! The Grinch got a wonderful, awful idea! "I know just what to...
Blogs
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Luke GodswillTurning an impediment to good fortuneAs the body of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg lies in state at the Supreme Court Building, many will come to pay their final respects and to reflect on her life. I, however, am thinking about the history of the court and the voices that have been absent...
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Luke GodswillBLS disaggregate the dataWe are nine months into the COVID-19 pandemic, and today was the first day that I felt a sense of despair. This morning, I told my students it really feels like “Hump Day.” I suspect some of the gloom I feel stems from the presidential debate, some from the anticipation...
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Luke GodswillFamily care plus work in a pandemicThe consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic seem to be never-ending. The death toll is likely to be 215,000 American lives lost by weeks end. The death toll was 211K as of today. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported 12.6 million Americans were unemployed in September, increasing 4.4 percentage points since February. Or...
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Luke GodswillEconomic and Educational OutcomesIt has been an exciting week. On Monday, I participated in a webinar hosted by the Progress Policy Institute's Mosiac Initiative titled, "Bringing Diversity to Economic Thought." On Friday, I will lead a discussion for the Lehigh-Northampton Chapter of Pennsylvania Association for the Education of Young Children on how quality, affordable child care is...
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Luke GodswillThe world is a brilliant, resilient placeMonday night, as I watched Judge Amy Coney Barrett take the official Constitutional Oath, a sadness rushed over me. I shared with a graduate school classmate that the possibility of Roe v. Wade being sent back to the states was terrifying to me. My classmate replied, I think women my age...
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Luke GodswillHispanic vs LatinoOctober 15th concludes Hispanic Heritage Month. I’d hope to share a WISER Dialogue video with Dr. Nancy Lopez, but we encountered a glitch with the recording. So instead, I’ll share three key points from our conversation. Hispanic is used to identify people of Spanish ancestry or colonization; therefore, it is an...
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Luke GodswillHow do you model inclusion?This morning, during my Business Statistics class, I checked in with my students about election results. As we’ve just finished creating confidence intervals, the results were a good starting point. Students commented about the sample used for the polls versus who voted. I am happy to report that their answers showed an excellent...
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Luke GodswillMakes me want to hollerI’ve avoided talking about the elephants in the room, the election, and the increase in COVID-19 cases. But the daily reports of the status of a coronavirus vaccine, the increase in COVID-19 cases, which includes over one million children, and the President’s unwillingness to concede and begin the transition process...
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Luke GodswillHappy ThanksgivingToday, I am thankful that transition funds have been released and that an effective vaccine is in America’s near future.And yet, I am saddened by the rising number of Americans who will be thankful to be alive after contracting the coronavirus.If you are traveling to celebrate Thanksgiving, please remember: If you...
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Luke GodswillWho is in your clinical trial?Yesterday, I was interviewed about the medical mistrust among the African-American community concerning the COVID-19 vaccine. Mr. Hoggard had interviewed me earlier in the summer about a study on North Carolina's sterilization program.Like many, the COVID-19 vaccine has been on my mind, but probably for different reasons. Last semester, I taught...
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Luke Godswill"Everything stinks till it’s finished," said Dr. SeussI have been a bit perplexed about the response to Joseph Epstein's op-ed suggesting the following:"As for your Ed.D., Madame First Lady, hard-earned though it may have been, please consider stowing it, at least in public, at least for now. Forget the small thrill of being Dr. Jill and settle...
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Luke GodswillGiving is not just about making a donationOn this eve of Christmas Eve, we celebrate the arrival of vaccines from several pharmaceutical companies and the signing of a much-needed COVID relief bill. Yet, we cannot gloss over the disproportionate effect of COVID-19 on Asian, Black, Hispanic, Indigenous American, and Multiracial women.The pandemic has led to job loss,...
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Luke GodswillRing out the false, ring in the true. —Alfred Lord TennysonFor many, the end of the year is a time for reflection. A time when we play the "woulda, coulda, shoulda" game. Some follow up with a list of resolutions for the new year. I am an expert at the "woulda, coulda, shoulda" game. However, as I've experienced life, I've learned...
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Luke GodswillWhose shoulders do you stand on?Usually, this time of year, I am euphoric. I'd be returning home from attending the Allied Social Sciences Association meetings, the annual get-together of economists. I know what you're thinking–it sounds like a good time.The meetings allow me to interact with Black and feminist economists and hear young scholars present...
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Luke Godswill"The hill we climb if only we dare", Amanda GormanThe swearing-in is done. So, it is official. Kamala Harris is the first woman to serve as Vice President of the United States of America!Did you notice that she was wearing purple? I did. She wore purple to honor Shirley Chisholm. Some suggest it also represents the uniting Democrats and Republicans....
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Luke GodswillSitting with the uncomfortableIt has been an exciting week.First, President Biden signed the “Executive Order On Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government.” Sec. 9. Establishing an Equitable Data Working Group. Many Federal datasets are not disaggregated by race, ethnicity, gender, disability, income, veteran status, or other key demographic variables. ...
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Luke GodswillLet's Celebrate All YearIt is Black History Month! This month we see a myriad of facts and figures about the Blacks in America, much of which will be focused on American Descendants of Slaves (#ADOS). Recently, when talking to a former Board member, I expressed disappointment about not being invited to give a keynote...
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Luke GodswillWe are all in this togetherRecently, discussion about the stimulus (relief) check has focused on income thresholds. Before I move on, let me first define a stimulus check versus a relief check. The purpose of a “stimulus check is to increase demand from consumers and grow the economy. A “relief check” is a subsidy to replace...
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Luke GodswillWant to hear a stimulating discussion about the COVID-19 pandemic?Tonight, the National Museum of African American History and Culture's is hosting: "Historically Speaking: The Economic Impact Of COVID-19 On The African American Community" February 23, 2021 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM I'll be a panelist with Algernon Austin, and Michael Fletcher.To register and learn more, click this link https://nmaahc.si.edu/event/historically-speaking-economic-impact-covid-19-african-american-community?trumbaEmbed=view%3Devent%26eventid%3D150534023.
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Luke GodswillInequality recessionThe “Historically Speaking: The Economic Impact Of COVID-19 On The African American Community” panel was fantastic! Algernon Austin nailed it when he said, "I call it the inequality recession."If you missed it, click here to watch https://nmaahc.si.edu/event/historically-speaking-economic-impact-covid-19-african-american-community?trumbaEmbed=view%3Devent%26eventid%3D150534023.
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Luke Godswill"With better data and increased awareness..."On International Women’s Day 2021, President Biden signed an Executive Order on Establishment of the White House Gender Policy Council. Couple this with the Executive Order for Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government, and I am optimistic that we may see a change in...
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Luke GodswillSticks and stones may break my bonesWe were all saddened and horrified by last night’s mass murder of a man and seven women, six of whom were Asian, at three massage parlors in Atlanta. This tragedy is another example of both the violence against women during the pandemic and the increased violence against Asian Americans. The...
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Luke GodswillExpanding the definition of a hate crimeThis week, we released a short brief about Southeast Asian women, written by Himaja Nimmagadda. She points out that the failure to disaggregate data erases the lived experiences of Asians who come to America as immigrants vs. refugees. These differences can be seen in education attainment and occupations within the...
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Luke GodswillShifting your lensEncouraging words from parents, friends, co-workers, and teachers/professors profoundly affect what we believe we can achieve. As a tenured faculty member, I could see my influence on students, but often not until the end of the semester or years later. As an adjunct faculty member, I did not think I...
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Luke GodswillUniquely situated to speak about who?When I am asked to speak, it is often about issues that affect Black women. I remind the person extending the invitation that we are not B-WISER, the Black Women’s Institute for Science, Equity and Race.But recently, I have been thinking. Can I speak about Asian, Hispanic, Native American, and...
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Luke GodswillTrue restorationThe verdict - Chauvin guilty of all charges. Attorney Ellison reminded us that “justice implies true restoration.” George Floyd’s life was not restored with the verdict. The Floyd family was not restored with the verdict. Yesterday shortly after the verdict was read, a Columbus police officer shot and killed teenager Ma’Khia Bryant.Justice...
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Luke GodswillFortified with GraceYesterday, I was also a panelist for the “Helping Women Get Back to Work” webinar sponsored by the MOSAIC Project and Progressive Policy Institute. Senator Gillibrand kicked off the webinar, and I was thrilled to hear her speak about “care” work as inclusive of parental care. Veronica Goodman, the moderator,...
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Luke GodswillThe beauty of disaggregating dataI took a few weeks off to get re-energized.Over the past week, I had the opportunity to share my thoughts about disaggregating data as a guest on NPR’s Marketplace, as part of the Equity Series Panel, “Measuring What we Value: Bridging Gaps in Data and Reporting on Race and Ethnicity,” Ways and Means Committee,...
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Luke GodswillWe are a landscape of all we have seen.Isamu NoguchiI am excited to announce that our partnership with Howard University’s Economics Department to provide inclusive, peer, on-site, and distance (IPOD) mentoring received a $1.9 million grant from the Peter G. Peterson Foundation. This funding will allow WISER to support alumni of the American Economic Association Summer Training Program with...
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Luke GodswillFairness is the right of the weakestTomorrow marks the 58th anniversary of the Equal Pay Act of 1963. Yesterday, the Senate failed to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act, which "addresses wage discrimination on the basis of sex, which is defined to include pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics." My takeaway from the WISER Dialogue with Alicia...
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Luke GodswillThe truth shall set you freeI hope many of you had an opportunity to catch either the "Data Infrastructure for the 21st Century: A Focus on Racial Equity" webinar or "Democracy, Race, and Justice: The Speeches and Writing of Sadie T.M. Alexander" book launch webinar. But if you missed it, allow me to do a...
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Luke GodswillHidden in the aggregateIt is officially Summer! Educators, students, and parents have made it through another year of virtual, hybrid, and in-person teaching (social distancing and masked). Woo! Woo! It is the time of year when I'd be attending the International Association for Feminist Economists (IAFFE) annual conference, which is being held in Quito,...
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Luke GodswillFederal Employees in the DMVLast week, I provided data about homeownership in the D.C. Maryland-Virginia (DMV) metro area. Since then, I have had conversations about the effects of the Department of Government Efficiency's (DOGE) dismantling and the gutting of the federal government on employees. According to the data, 44% of federal employees identify as women...
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Luke GodswillAre you part of the collective?Usually during the spring semester, I teach statistics at the University of Richmond. However, I am currently at Colorado College teaching “Using Big Data to Unmask Inequality” (see figure 1). I love the slogan, "Analyze. Visualize. Create Change."Figure 1. Using Big Data to Unmask Inequality Flyer Gendered Racism Today, our guest speaker...
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Luke Godswill#IWD2025 #AccelerateActionThis year's theme for International Women's Day is "Let's Accelerate Action." The World Economic Forum estimates that, at the current rate of progress, we will not achieve full gender parity until the year 2158. This statistic is sobering, especially in light of the recent Executive Order titled "Defending Women from...
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Luke GodswillIs College Worth It?In class this week, we discussed various forms of inequality, including class, education, health, income, and wealth. Much of our conversation focused on students questioning the value of a college education. They expressed anxiety about securing a job after graduation—an anxiety I do not recall experiencing as an undergraduate or...
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Luke GodswillPlaying it safeMy class has ended, and it went well. Normally, I'd post an update on LinkedIn about how successful it was, along with pictures. However, since I'm traveling out of the country soon and want to avoid any shenanigans when I return, I am not posting. I am not expressing gratitude to...
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Luke GodswillIf single, take flightA few weeks ago, I attended "The rise of populism and the future of economic policy" conference. In her keynote, Sara Nelson, International President of the Association of Flight Attendants, shared that airlines had marriage bars.United Airlines (United) required female stewardesses to remain unmarried as a condition of employment, but did not have...
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Luke GodswillStudent Debt-to-Income BurdenLast week, Robert Smith announced his new nonprofit, Student Freedom Initiative (SFI), which will offer low-interest rate loans to juniors and seniors attending historically black colleges and universities (HBCU) and majoring in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Although Mr. Smith does not explicitly describe his initiative as an income share...
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Luke GodswillProtect Women’s Preventive ServicesToday, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Little Sisters of the Poor v. Pennsylvania, 7 to 2, that the Trump administration can allow employers "with sincerely held moral convictions" or religious beliefs to deny contraception coverage to female workers. Employers seek to restrict a woman's access to the full range of health...
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Luke Godswill"I wish I could shut up, but I can't, and I won't."As I reflect on 2021, I am overwhelmed with gratitude and a sense of accomplishment. With support from the National Science Foundation and the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, we hired Himaja C. Nimmagadda as the Associate Director for the Inclusive Peer Onsite Distance (IPOD) Mentoring Program, which welcomed its first...
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Luke GodswillStoryboards and MathWorksAs the year comes to a close, we have good news. Leo Lee nominated WISER to receive a donation from MathWorks. At MathWorks, employees vote on which nonprofits received contributions. His colleagues watched the storyboard he created and voted. I am happy to announce that WISER received enough votes to receive...
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Luke GodswillBeauty and The CasteMiss Universe 2021 is an Indian woman- Harnaaz Shadu. From the outside looking in, Harnaaz Shadu’s win is a beautiful (literally!) win for representation. Yet, how do we celebrate representation while being aware of the harm beauty pageants have historically inflicted on cultural discourse? Can we overlook the seemingly endless reinforcement...
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Luke GodswillThe hardest work one will ever have to doA few weeks ago, on November 17, I was riding in my truck about 12:30 PM – 1 O'clock. A song came on the radio "100 Shots" by Young Dolph. Little did I know, as my friend and I were discussing the well-known rapper and his song, that Young Dolph would...
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Luke GodswillGiving Thanks from Brunswick to WaukeshaI am thankful that more parade attendees were not killed in Waukesha, WI. I am thankful that the jury verdicts in the Kyle Rittenhouse vs. The State of Wisconsin and Gregory McMichael vs. The State of Georgia; Travis McMichael vs. the State of Georgia; and William Bryan Jr. vs. The State of Georgia did not lead to...
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Luke GodswillMeasuring Economic DisparityI am a participant in this roundtable tomorrow. If your schedule allows, please join. Happy WISER Wednesday eve,Rhonda Tomorrow: Chairman Himes to Hold Bipartisan Select Committee Roundtable on Measuring Economic Disparity Nov 16, 2021 Press Release Event Will Provide an Opportunity for Select Committee Members to Hear from Experts on the Measurement of Economic Well-Being WASHINGTON –...
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Luke GodswillBalancing RisksThe news that the President of Haiti, Jovenel Moïse, had been assassinated at his home last night made me think about the January 6th insurrection on the U.S. Capitol and differently that could have turned out. Gun Violence Archive reports: There have now been 20 mass shootings in July, 336 on the...
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Luke Godswill"Your human talent is your most important talent."Please join me in welcoming our new director of research, Jerry L. Pender, and our summer interns.Jerry Pender is a logistics expert who analyzes data to improve processes for programs that impact disenfranchised communities. He uses his logistics and business intelligence expertise to recommend policy improvements for childcare, prison transition...
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Luke GodswillReal-time data can improve access to child careThe “Child Care for All: Eliminating Child Care Deserts” webinar offered great insights. For example, Dionne Dobbins noted the importance of needs assessments to identify the locations that need child care and the type of care – after school, before school, not traditional hours. She added that real-time data about...
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Luke GodswillRethinking child care desertsIn preparation for today's webinar, "Child Care for All: Eliminating Child Care Deserts," Jerry suggested the definition of a child care desert was misleading. A child care desert is any census tract with more than 50 children under age 5 that contains either no child care providers or so few options...
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Luke GodswillChildcare for AlOn July 21, 2021, we will host our first webinar!We are excited to have Dionne Dobbs, Ph.D., Senior Director of Research at Child Care Aware® of America (CCAoA), and LaKesha Petty, owner, Pamper Me Nursery. Dionne and LaKesha will discuss child care providers' challenges and how the American Rescue Plan (ARP) and...
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Luke GodswillGrateful to be aliveIn July, the number of jobs added was 330,000, a little more than half of what analysts predicted. Hospitality and leisure added the most jobs, 139,000. As women tend to be overrepresented in this sector, on Friday, when the Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Employment Situation Summary,” comes out, we will see how...
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Luke GodswillAre you connected?Broadband access is finally getting the attention it has always needed. But even this is not enough. A survey conducted in November 2019 by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration takes a look at the digital divide- which refers to the gap between individuals’, households’, and businesses’ opportunities to access information...
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Luke GodswillThe beauty of disaggregating data- CorrectionI took a few weeks off to get re-energized.Over the past week, I had the opportunity to share my thoughts about disaggregating data as a guest on NPR’s Marketplace, as part of the Equity Series Panel, “Measuring What we Value: Bridging Gaps in Data and Reporting on Race and Ethnicity,” Ways and Means Committee,...
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Luke GodswillTrick or TreatToday, I participated in a webinar sponsored by the American Association for Blacks in Higher Education (AABHE). It was an opportunity to educate administrators, faculty, and graduate students about datasets that can be leveraged to increase access to higher education, advocate for or propose higher education policies, and advance promotion or...
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Luke GodswillHappy Birthday Hip Hop“Cancel Culture.” This phrase means different things to different people. According to a 2020 survey conducted by the Pew Research Center, Americans defined cancel culture in various ways. Source: https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2021/05/19/americans-and-cancel-culture-where-some-see-calls-for-accountability-others-see-censorship-punishment/ Forty-nine percent believe cancel culture describes people’s actions to hold others accountable. Accountability is good. But, how do we decide what and who should be...
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Luke GodswillVeterans Day 2021Today is Veterans Day in America. Veterans Day originated as "Armistice Day" on November 11, 1919, to celebrate the anniversary of the end of World War I. <a href="https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/veterans-day-facts" style="mso-line-height-rule: exactly;-ms-text-size-adjust: 100%;-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;color: #007C89;font-weight: normal;text-decoration: underline;"> In 1954, President Eisenhower</a> officially changed the name to Veterans Day. Although Veterans Day is...
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Luke GodswillSomething to think about besides homeworkThe conversation about k-12 schools reopening is an opportunity to revisit essential vs. expendable workers. Education Week data shows that in 20 states, teachers are not a profession given priority for the vaccine (See map below). We’ve been in this pandemic for over a year, and yet teachers who deliver education...
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Luke GodswillHappy DiwaliDiwali, the Hindu festival celebrating the triumph of good over evil, light over darkness, and knowledge over ignorance, occurs on November 4, 2021. Growing up, in the days leading up to Diwali, I remember my mom waking up extra early to make us a special breakfast and making sure everyone...
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Luke GodswillA Silent SymbolMillennial and Gen-Z Asian Americans are more likely to speak out against violence and racism than their parents or grandparents, whose generations have held closely to the perceived safety of the “model minority.” That title was given to Asian Americans in the mid-1960s by politicians who wanted to encourage division...
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Luke GodswillI am my keeperOn September 29, 2017, Kate Bahn convened women economists to discuss the "Economics of Misogyny." I was asked to be on the "Bodily Autonomy" panel and charged to discuss reproductive justice. Bodily autonomy is not discussed in economics but aligns closely with some economic thinking, such as Amartya Sen's capabilities approach. ...
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Luke GodswillWho you calling a seniorI have been traveling across the country conducting information sessions on college campuses about the American Economic Association Summer Training Program. My travels allowed me to meet a cadre of students and economics faculty. It also allowed me to listen to NPR – intentionally, not just as background noise. An episode...
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Luke GodswillNot Just LunchThe month of August brings with it a wave of nostalgia. I remember the anticipation (and dread) of the upcoming school year, buying school supplies, and deciding what to wear on the first day. While Jerry’s children have been back to school for a couple of weeks now, in Loudoun County,...
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Luke GodswillMay 4th Mother's DayThere is so much I could talk about today. The leaked Supreme Court opinion for Thomas E. Dobbs, State Health Officer of the Mississippi Department of Health, et al., Petitioners v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, et al., is expected to overturn Roe v. Wade and return the decision about abortion...
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Luke GodswillWho lives in Rural America?What comes to mind when you think of rural America?Gbenga Ajilore once said that when people think of rural spaces, they think of the American Gothic painting. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Americans in rural areas died of the virus at nearly twice the rate of those living in nonrural spaces. Approximately...
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Luke GodswillMy SOGI is none of your businessToday is the first day of Gay Pride Month. On June 11, 1999, 30 years after the Stonewall Inn Riots, also called Stonewall Uprising, President Clinton declared June National Gay Pride Month. Also, in June 1999, the National Park Service added the Stonewall Inn and surrounding streets to the National Register...
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Luke GodswillIt is a new yearA new year brings excitement about new beginnings – a new congress, new legislation (minimum wage increases for several states), new healthy habits, and new opportunities to advocate for a more equitable society.I am excited about our partnership with the Family Economic Mobility Division of Share Our Strength. WISER will provide...
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Luke GodswillA supply chain approachLast week, the Washington D.C. City Council voted in favor of using some of the city’s tax revenue to provide up to $14,000 to workers who care for young children. Washington will join a group of other cities and states that have utilized either tax revenue or pandemic relief funding...
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Luke GodswillFair housing must be affordableIn recognition of President Lyndon Johnson's signing of the Fair Housing Act of 1968, April is Fair Housing Month. The 1968 Act prohibited discrimination concerning the sale, rental and financing of housing based on race, religion, national origin or sex. Richard Rothstein's book "The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of...
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Luke GodswillDemographics about lawyersAs the vote to confirm Ketanji Brown Jackson draws nearer, I have been thinking more about the legal profession, demographics, and where they are educated. Below is an infographic about women who are lawyers, defined as women who said their profession was law in the 2019 American Community Survey. Thank you for...
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Luke GodswillVeteran MothersVeteran Mothers: Pulling Double DutyFor our final look at various population segments of mothers across America, I wanted to cover veteran mothers and the impact of motherhood on their wages. According to a Military Times article, there are over two million women veterans in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, with...
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Luke GodswillState Confinement in a Post Roe V Wade WorldAs the argument continues across the country on whether abortion should be legal or not, the reality is that, as it stands now, most women who want or need an abortion will be less than a one-day drive away from a state with at least limited abortion rights. The map...
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Luke GodswillRide-Along: Department of Community SupervisionLast Wednesday, I had the honor and pleasure to participate in a ride-along with Officer Daphne of the Georgia Department of Community Supervision. Donate Aug 03, 2025Ride-Along: Department Of Community SupervisionLast Wednesday, I had the honor and pleasure to participate in a ride-along with Officer Daphne of the Georgia Department...
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Luke GodswillReproductive Justice for ALLEarlier this month, Kentucky became the state with the harshest abortion restrictions in the U.S. by enacting a law that makes it nearly possible to get an abortion. Oklahoma has enacted similar but slightly less harsh restrictions – banning abortions in all cases except for those in which there is...
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Luke GodswillPrison Reentry: Solutions that Support WomenOver a million women have been released from prison in the last three decades. Many have been released without resources, leaving them vulnerable to recidivism, poverty, and abusive relationships. A 2019 study by the Prison Policy Initiative highlights these and other challenges faced by returning female citizens. Since the late...
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Luke GodswillThankful for advances in health careAs an extrovert (surprise), I like to spend Thanksgiving alone – to rest, recharge, and have honest conversations with myself. This year, my parents had other ideas. We are spending Thanksgiving in Hilton Head. Giving Thanks I am thankful that my mother and stepfather are in good health and can travel. I am thankful that...
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Luke GodswillDisparities Create PipelineToday is my daughter Cincia’s birthday. She is set to begin her final year of middle school and is excited about the future. I don’t tend to worry too severely about her experiences in school and whether she faces unnecessary discrimination. Yes, my kids have come home and told me...
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Luke GodswillAsian and Hawaiian/Pacific Islander Mothers (Part 1)Today, I want to share data on Asian and Hawaiian/Pacific Islander mothers. The data come from the 2022 Annual Social and Economic Supplement and do not allow for the disaggregation of Asians or Hawaiian/Pacific Islanders by ethnicity. A person is considered a mother if they identified as female and their...
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Luke GodswillUnbiased Technology and ResearchThis week, Google turns 25. How many of you remember the Mosaic web browser, Yahoo and Ask Jeeves search engines, or Pine email? I remember my peers knew about all the cool things happening on Stanford's campus, and I didn't. When I asked how they knew, they said email. My response was, I am...
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Luke GodswillEducated to provide child careLast week, we examined the disparities in median wage for child care workers and preschool teachers compared to other teachers. The labor market structure – monopoly, monopsony, or competitive labor market- affects wages. A report by Bivins, Mishel, and Schmitt suggests that a firm’s market power also influences wages. Research...
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Luke GodswillWatch out for the cliffThe American Rescue Plan Act (ARP) has made available nearly 40 billion dollars in direct funding to child care providers through programs like the Child Care and Development Block Grant Program. Moreover, the Head Start program has been provided with $1 billion. However, the funding for child care provided by...
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Luke GodswillWho Has Your Health Data?During his State of the Union address, President Biden called for improvements to data privacy and transparency for all Americans- a similar message to his speech in 2022. However, progress has yet to be made. A fact sheet released by the White House before the event states an acknowledgment of...
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Luke Godswillthe whole pieThere is much to celebrate this week. On Sunday, Girls Scouts of the United States of America turned 111! Founded in Savannah, GA, with 18 girls, Girls Scouts of the United States of America has a membership and alumnae base of nearly 60 million! I was a Brownie. How many of you...
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Luke GodswillTime For Change? Insight Into the Female Federal Prison PopulationI no longer accepting the things I cannot change… I’m changing the things I cannot accept.” – Angela Davis. We have long accepted our criminal justice system as the status quo>negative stigma surrounding justice-impacted individuals causes society to, at times, overlook these conditions. This is an even more significant issue for...
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Luke GodswillThe State of the Union: Addressing Criminal Justice ReformLast night, in his State of the Union Address, President Biden touched on a few criminal justice reform issues and his administration's plan to help combat these issues. Most notable is the plan to invest more in crime prevention and a fairer criminal justice system. To help prevent crime, Biden...
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Luke GodswillThe Hidden Complexities of America's Criminal Justice SystemLast week, the Prison Policy Institute released its latest comprehensive study on mass incarceration in the U.S. The report’s primary focus is highlighting how many people are locked up by type of facility and offense committed. Our recently released three-part report takes a layered approach to analyzing criminal justice statistics...
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Luke GodswillThe Growing Cost of IncarcerationLast week in celebration of “National Book Lovers Day,” I discussed both the benefits of reading and the growing sentiment towards limiting the reading material available to justice-involved individuals in jail or prison. This report explains how obtaining reading materials has become an added component of the prison industrial complex.Prison...
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Luke GodswillReading: A Proven SolutionToday is "National Book Lovers Day." It reminds me of how my mother instilled in me a love for reading, which I have passed on to my children. Reading allowed me to escape reality and imagine things beyond my reach while growing up in Birmingham, Alabama.Many of the women in...
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Luke GodswillNew Abortion Bans Will Lead to More Rape-Related Pregnancy BirthsBeginning at least a decade before the pandemic, incidents of rape against women have been increasing annually. Though anyone can be a victim of rape, females experience incidents of rape the most. In addition, characteristics like age, race, and ethnicity influence who these victims are and the rates at which...
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Luke GodswillMental Health: A Challenge For AllOctober isn't just about fall weather. It's also a month dedicated to raising awareness about mental health education and depression. It is officially recognized as "National Depression and Mental Health Screening Month." Mental health has become a crucial topic in society, with celebrities from various fields advocating for it. Companies...
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Luke GodswillA Stately ResponseOver the past two weeks, we have examined pay disparities and educational attainment in early childhood sectors by gender, race, and ethnicity. This week, we highlight a few promising child care systems nationwide. One notable system is the Department of Defense's (DoD) child care system, earning the highest grade awarded...
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Luke GodswillA Hard TransitionThis weekend marks two significant military dates that are important in honoring the dedication and sacrifice of the men and women who have served in the armed forces. On Friday, the U.S. Marine Corps celebrates its 248th Birthday, marking a rich tradition of valor, camaraderie, and service to the nation....
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Luke GodswillA Different Kind of MotherHappy Mother’s Day to Edie Ceccarelli, the oldest person in the U.S. and one of only a few women still living born before President Woodrow Wilson signed the Congressional Resolution into law in 1914. Mothers are unique for several reasons, but most importantly, because mothers serve as the vehicle that helps create...
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Luke GodswillThe Most Educated GroupIt is the time of year when I compile the Top 100 Producers for Diverse Issues Magazine. This year, I noticed a few intriguing trends for bachelor's degrees conferred.Remote LearningFirst, the effects of remote learning and online graduation during the COVID-19 pandemic differed across groups. Although the number of bachelor's...
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Luke GodswillThe "M" TaxLast Tuesday, voters in Ohio voted to protect abortion as part of the reproductive health choices for 2.23 million women ages 15 to 44 who reside in the state (see Table 1). Table 1. Women of Childbearing Age (15-44): Ohio Source: 2023 Annual Social and Economic Supplements, Current Population Survey While celebrating...
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Luke GodswillThank You and Good Luck!Four years ago this month, I met Himaja Nimmagadda at a Women in Economics Conference at the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. I liked her energy and infectious laugh.Himaja reached out just as she was about to graduate from Virginia Commonwealth University with a bachelor's degree in economics and...
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Luke GodswillExpanding the Pay Equity NarrativeAs our anniversary approaches, I have been reflecting on how little the pay equity narrative has changed, despite my requests. Nearly two years ago, I wrote, "When Is Equal Pay Day for White Women?" Yet, the Pay Equity Calendar still does not have a day for White women.In the article,...
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Luke GodswillWould you define that, please?I'm here at the 2023 Annual Conference of the Association for Public Data Users. While this group has been around for nearly half a century, I learned about them when they asked me to be the keynote speaker for their 2021 conference. It's been nice to put names with faces for...
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Luke GodswillWhen data are misleadingThis year not only marks my 40th birthday, but it also marks the 40th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr’s birthday, celebrated this past Monday, officially becoming a national holiday and the 55th year since his assassination. Somehow, 55 years later, in many communities, the thirst for equality seems just...
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Luke GodswillPeaceful Holiday SeasonYesterday, Sandra Day O'Connor was laid to rest. As I listened to a story about her time as the first woman to be appointed as an Associate Justice, this statement caught my attention: "When she first arrived, there wasn't even a women's bathroom anywhere near the courtroom." This statement suggests women hadn't...
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Luke GodswillA Choice RemovedNext week, we will release a report examining the increase in reports of rapes against women across the U.S., which have increased by 42 percent between 2019 and 2021. In a post-Roe v. Wade world, abortion restrictions will increase the number of women forced to become mothers. Since the Dobbs v....
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Luke GodswillDo You Know Who My Father Is?The Department of Education has been asked by Lawyers for Civil Rights to examine Harvard University’s use of legacy in admissions. Finally, a lawsuit to challenge legacy preferences in admissions!Who’s Your Daddy?In the United States, higher education was established to educate elite White men. The Morrill Act of 1962 would...
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Luke GodswillRole Model vs. InfluencerAs a doctoral student, I worked at Scripps College, a women's college that is one of the Claremont Colleges. I was hired to be the director of activities and leadership by V. Barbara Bush, then Dean of Students, who said she thought I'd be a good role model for the...
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Luke GodswillA Unique PositionOver the past few weeks, I have talked with the parents about the implications of the ban against affirmative action. My discussions with Black parents have been mixed. Some worry that schools will no longer be proactive in recruiting Black students. Others are offended by the rhetoric suggesting that Black...
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Luke GodswillFalse Narratives and RepresentationMy interest in the Barbie Movie was about something other than nostalgia. Neither my mother nor I remember having a Barbie doll, but I had her dream house, so I must have had the Barbie doll. I watched the movie to see Issa Rae portrayed as the first Black Women...
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Luke GodswillI ain't working here no moreYesterday, MarketPlace's Morning Report had a story titled, "It pays to play as you age." The story talked about older artists, Rolling Stones, Dolly Parton, and Clint Eastwood, in their very senior years, were still active at their craft. I would add Smokey Robinson to this list.The story reported that the...
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Luke GodswillTis The Season to VolunteerDuring this season, it's important to understand the broader context of volunteering trends in the United States. To shed light on these trends, I examined the 2021 Census data on Volunteering and Civic Life and the latest report released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics on Volunteering. These sources offer...
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Luke GodswillHuge Win for Small BusinessesThis week's email is written by Sacha D. Blalock, founder and Executive Director of Spearhead Group. She is also my former student from my days at Bennett College. Sacha will also write next week's email as we will be on a staff retreat in New York.Be Well,Rhonda The Inflation Reduction Act...
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Luke GodswillSpeaking for those between the commasNearly two years ago, I was featured in Diversity Action Magazine. The article's title was "Speaking for those 'Between the Commas.' When asked why I founded the Women's Institute for Science, Equity and Race, I would say I was tired of reading reports that said "women, except Black and Hispanic...
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Luke GodswillPeriod Math: The Math Ain't MathingGirl math is when I pay with cash instead of a card; I’m actually not spending real money. Girl math is when I put my card down to cover a dinner with my friends and they all Venmo me their portion; I’m making money. It’s also tracking my menstrual cycle...
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Luke GodswillPessimistic, Yet HopefulI have been fortunate to have excellent mentoring relationships with former students. I learned the value of these relationships from my dissertation advisor, Cecilia Conrad, and mentor, William A. Darity, Jr.Jerry is one of these students. Jerry was a student in my math for economists class when he participated in...
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Luke GodswillHappy Birthday To MeJ.D. Vance's comment about childless Americans has brought to the forefront what many without (biological) children have experienced in private settings. I have often discussed the underappreciated role of being an "auntie" with women in my circle. This role is not unappreciated by the parents, the guardians, or the children...
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Luke GodswillSingle Retired IncWe continue our analysis of "single" women 65 and over who are not in the labor force (retired). Last week, we looked at housing and well-being. This week, we examine the income sources for these women. Show Me the Money Despite having income from diverse sources, the 2021 median total personal income...
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Luke GodswillThe Period Cost BurdenThe average for menarche, the first menstrual cycle, is 12, and the average age for menopause is 52. Because much of the efforts to eradicate period poverty are focused on low-income countries, we must remember that period poverty is defined by income, not a geographical location. Approximately 11.5 million...
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Luke GodswillunEqual progress in death ratesGood Morning America kicked off Breast Cancer Awareness Month with 2024 statistics yesterday. According to the National Breast Cancer Foundation's Breast Cancer Facts & Stats, in 2024, it is estimated that in the United States: 310,720 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in women Invasive breast cancer has spread...
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Luke GodswillPutting the data togetherOn January 29th, 2023, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court voted to allow challenges to the restrictions on state funds imposed by the Pennsylvania Abortion Control Act of 1982. It is a significant victory for women's rights in Pennsylvania. Reproductive Autonomy The excitement over the ruling focuses on Section (c) – Public Funds, which restricts the...
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Luke GodswillOut of poverty vs. Above the poverty lineLast Wednesday, I was invited to be on a panel at the 92nd Winter Meeting of the United States Conference of Mayors. The theme was "Empowering Cities: Strategies for Alleviating Poverty," and the title of my talk was "Using Data to Change the Narrative on Poverty."I was glad to have...
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Luke GodswillPerpetuating stereotypes and tropes using dataThe Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) has a study examining the benefits of changes to the Child Tax Credit. I like that Table 1 of the report shows the potential number of children that will benefit from policy changes to the CTC disaggregated by ethnicity, race, and state. The...
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Luke GodswillCelebrating the American workerLabor Day is a celebration of the “social and economic achievements” of American workers. It is unclear if Peter J. McGuire, general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and a co-founder of the American Federation of Labor, or Matthew Maguire, who would become the secretary of Local 344...
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Luke GodswillDouble Decker SandwichSince the 2021 American Community Survey, respondents have had the option to select “Same-sex husband/wife/spouse.” This is In 2022, there were just over 730K same-sex married households (see Table 1), ;one in five of these families have children. Across racial and ethnic groups, nearly half or more of married same-sex...
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Luke GodswillReconstituted FamiliesI received an email reminding me that stepparents, like Ms. Harris, may not have biological children.In 2021, there were 49 million households with children. The majority of these households had a woman as head of household. Thirty-eight percent of Asian households were headed by a woman, the lowest for any...
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Luke GodswillHard-to-Guess, but Easy-to-RememberI graduated from George Washington University this past weekend with a Master's in Cybersecurity focusing on Policy and Compliance. Our commencement speaker was Bryan Stevenson, lawyer and founder of the Equal Justice Initiative. This was a full circle moment for me as his book, Just Mercy: A Story of Justice &...
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Luke GodswillA Month for Second ChancesIn April, we celebrate Second Chance Month, a time to reflect on the challenges individuals face when returning home from jail or prison. Last month, the White House released its proclamation on Second Chance Month, which stated that America was founded on the promise of new beginnings.The same day the...
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Luke GodswillSignature Shoe Deals in the WNBAThere has been some conversation around the WNBA about the recent lack of signature shoe deals for Black WNBA players compared to their White counterparts. This is just part of a larger argument about the lack of respect Black women receive in the sport of women’s basketball. It has become...
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Luke GodswillIncarcerated Mothers and The Children Left BehindMother’s Day, made an official U.S. holiday in 1914, was celebrated on Sunday. Many people celebrate with gifts, flowers, balloons, and other acts of kindness to express their love and joy for the special mothers in their lives. At the same time, however, many mothers spend this special day locked...
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Luke GodswillMen Lie, Women Lie, Numbers Don’t?In verse two of Jay-Z’s “Reminder” off of his 2009 The Blueprint 3 album, he raps:Back-to-back, double plat', I did what you won'tMen lie, women lie, numbers don'tAin't nothin' changed for, me 'cept the year it isI think I have to send you a reminder, here it is I must remind...
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Luke GodswillExposed – Shining the Light on Indecent BehaviorThe sexual exploitation of female prisoners within the federal prison system gained renewed attention on Monday as the FBI conducted its raid on the women’s Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin, California. According to a Los Angeles Times article, sexual assault allegations at this facility date all the way back to...
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Luke GodswillPeriod Tax vs. Period PovertySeveral months ago, Janice Johnson Dias posed an important question: could we undertake a similar analysis of menstrual cycles as we did for menopause? Her question got me thinking about the differences between period tax and period poverty and how these issues affect low-income households with people who menstruate. Period tax,...
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Luke GodswillLow income votersAn article today reported that low-income voters, those earning less than $20,000, are reporting that they will vote for Harris, not Trump. Over 71.2 million women are 18 years of age or older and employed. Among these women, 14% (8.9 million) have a total income of $20,000 or less and...
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Luke GodswillOnly questions. No answers.Does an opportunity economy create an equal opportunity society? Does cutting taxes for middle-class families create a society where lower-income individuals are not viewed as expendable? Does making rent more affordable mean that landlords won't won't discriminate against individuals based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or experience with the criminal justice...
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Luke GodswillBattle of the classesI watched the debate last night. It felt like a battle between the middle class and the upper class. Neither candidate mentioned the working class, defined as those without a bachelor’s degree. Have working people become the new working class? I often wonder why policymakers focus on the middle class rather...
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Luke GodswillIt's PoliticalI have wondered why the U.S. Census data on incomes has not been widely discussed—especially when there have been so many conversations about the impact of inflation during this election cycle. There's a great deal of conversation about how expensive goods are, yet I have found stories highlighting the fact...
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Luke GodswillUsing data to reduce biasI am returning from the American Association of Blacks in Higher Education (AABHE) Research Conference hosted at the Strata Foundation in Indianapolis. For the past three years, I have had the honor of leading data analytics workshops for AABHE. This was my fourth workshop, and I want to share why...
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Luke GodswillTime: Our most valued resourceThe Bureau of Labor Statistics released an analysis of the 2023 American Time Use Survey. On average, women spend .6 hours a day (36 minutes) more caring for children than men. Specifically, for children under 6, women spend an average of 0.84 hours (50 minutes) more; for children aged 6...
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Luke GodswillMoma Bought Us A HouseToday, Chairman Powell stated that inflation is still higher than the targeted 2%; therefore, the federal funds rate will remain at 5.25%-5.50. Hence, interest rates will remain "high" during the 2024 home-buying season, which historically has been April, May, and June. Historical Interest Rates I am a proponent of homeownership because...
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Luke GodswillWhen the math is mathingThis past Sunday, 60 Minutes aired a segment called "Teens Surprise Math World with Pythagorean Theorem trigonometry proof." Ne'Kiya Jackson and Celcea Johnson, seniors at all-girls St. Mary's Academy in New Orleans, had potentially solved (the paper has yet to be peer-reviewed) a 2000-year-old math problem. When they presented it...
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Luke GodswillThe Great Society is still a dreamMay 22 was the 60th anniversary of former President Lyndon B. Johnson's "Great Society" speech. As I read the speech, I was disheartened by how much his remarks address many of today's challenges. Johnson said: The Great Society rests on abundance and liberty for all. It demands an end to poverty...
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Luke GodswillRetired Single WomenToday, there is an article in the Wall Street Journal about single women and retirement. The article profiles three women: Retired higher earner with caregiver responsibilities Retired with no savings Retired to travel the world (no details provided) Though it is not explicitly stated, I gleaned from the article that these women have never...
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Luke GodswillHot, Tired and Calling in SickToday, I presented research on the cost of menopause at the St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank as part of the Institute of Economic Equity Series. My presentation focused on women aged 40 to 60 in the labor force who did not have employer-sponsored health insurance. I chose to focus on this...
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Luke GodswillEqual for Pay for the Real Team USAThe 2024 Olympics are underway. Simone Biles has made history – receiving the most medals ever won by an American Olympic gymnast. The U.S. women's rugby team won a bronze medal, the first ever. The U.S. men's gymnastics team won a bronze medal. Rapper Flavor Flav, a sponsor for the U.S. women's water polo...
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Luke GodswillThe freedom to organize for changeI had written an email that pointed out the irony of celebrating the signing of the Declaration of Independence on the 4th of July despite slavery being legal and practiced in all 13 colonies. However, in light of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on Monday in Trump v. United States, the heat...
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Luke GodswillExit Stage LeftWhen we surveyed you last year, we received a request to examine age discrimination. President Biden's decision to withdraw from the Presidential election has me thinking about age discrimination. Specifically, when, if ever, is it "okay" to ask an older person "to go sit down" to make room for a...
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Luke GodswillBlind Spot IndicatorDaniya and I had an excellent visit to the St. Louis Federal Reserve last week. The feedback from my presentation and conversations afterward reminded me of how those of us doing equity work can be so focused on our mission that we miss our blind spots. Class Bias My interest in self-employed...
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Luke GodswillEveryday I'm hustlingToday, Daniya and I are at the St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank, where we are presenting a draft of WISER’s Self-Employment Dashboard as part of the Institute for Economic Equity Research Series.The discussion about entrepreneurship usually revolves around scalable businesses and ideas. I believe this perspective is flawed for several...
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Luke GodswillPutting the data togetherOn January 29th, 2023, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court voted to allow challenges to the restrictions on state funds imposed by the Pennsylvania Abortion Control Act of 1982. It is a significant victory for women's rights in Pennsylvania. Reproductive Autonomy The excitement over the ruling focuses on Section (c) – Public Funds, which restricts the...
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Luke GodswillPoverty: A catalyst for separate and unequalDuring his 1976 presidential campaign, former President Ronald Reagan introduced the "Welfare Queen." Although Linda Taylor, the real welfare queen, was a White woman who had defrauded the health and services, the Social Security Administration, and Veterans Affairs out of over $100,000, many ignored that she was White. Regan's description...
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Luke GodswillEconomic Equality Through EntrepreneurshipWe celebrated the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on Monday, an annual tradition that occurs every third Monday in January. This year, the day fell on his actual birth date, January 15. One of the main issues Dr. King fought for before his death was wage equality. At...
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Luke GodswillPrison Labor ExploitationThe 13th Amendment states:"Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction."This exception, allowing for the use of slavery as a punishment for a crime, assisted in...
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Luke GodswillThe WNBA Draft: The New Groundhog DayOn Monday, nearly 2.5 million people watched the 2024 WNBA Draft. This completely shattered the previous viewership record of 600,000 set decades ago in 2004. This wasn’t a huge surprise, given that the night’s biggest star, Iowa’s Caitlin Clark, had just starred on Saturday Night Live two nights before. This night...
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Luke GodswillThe journey to normal Amadou and MatildaI'll be off to California in a few weeks to celebrate one of my best friends' birthdays. Matilda is turning 50! I have campaigned for her to celebrate for months! I'd say, "Do you know how many people died in the first year of the (COVID-19) pandemic?" Over half a million...
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Luke GodswillPerspectives about oppression: Oh, the hypocrisyI am back from Abu Dhabi, and re-entry into the U.S. went smoothly. I had reservations about visiting. How do I dress? Would I be safe as a woman, much less as a Black woman? Perspectives about oppression My concerns were based on my perception of how Muslim women are required to dress. ...
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Luke GodswillWISER Wed July 30 Education: A weapon to fight povertyToday on 1A, the guests discussed K-12 education concerns and the proposed budget. With all the focus on cuts to higher education research funding, I was surprised to learn that the FY 2026 Budget Request did not propose cuts to Title I or the Individual Disability Education Act (IDEA.Title I was created in 1965 as part...
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Luke GodswillWomen and Digital Privacy: Protecting Health Data Post-Roe HCN FOR TIMELINE NEW SITEDuring his State of the Union address, President Biden called for strengthening data privacy and platform transparency for all. Following the overturn of Roe v. Wade, over 50% of women in the United States live in states with hostile abortion laws. States can legally gather health or geolocation data as...
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Luke GodswillWISER Wed July 30 Education: A weapon to fight povertyToday on 1A, the guests discussed K-12 education concerns and the proposed budget. With all the focus on cuts to higher education research funding, I was surprised to learn that the FY 2026 Budget Request did not propose cuts to Title I or the Individual Disability Education Act (IDEA.Title I was created in 1965 as part...
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Luke GodswillWho Cares About Earth Day?Who Cares About Earth Day? Yesterday marked 55 years of the United States' observation of Earth Day, birthed from Wisconsin senator Gaylord Nelson’s rallies to raise awareness about urgent environmental issues. April 19th also kicks off National Park Week, honoring the National Park Service and its contributions to communities. Their celebratory...
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Luke GodswillTwo things can be trueOver the years, in conversations with people with differing perspectives than mine, I have warmed up to the idea that two beliefs, statements, and actions that seem to contradict each other can both be true. Data Is Unimportant The Trump administration's dismantling of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives raises questions about...
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Luke GodswillBlack Women most educatedFor years, there has been a myth that Black women are the most educated group in America. Since the recent Executive Order, "Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programs And Preferencing," I have noticed increased social media postings repeating this myth.To dispel this myth, I have calculated various measures. None...
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Luke GodswillWeary, But Not DefeatedFifty-two years ago today, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a landmark ruling in Roe v. Wade, deciding 7-2 that the Constitution protects the right to have an abortion. When they presented to the Supreme Court, Sarah Weddington was 26 years old, and her co-counsel, Linda Coffee, was 28. At that time, women comprised only 6 percent of...
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Luke GodswillRenting- A Less Cost Effective AlternativeAs a renter in Washington, D.C., seeking a change, I've been watching for potential apartment vacancies due to the recent federal layoffs. One woman's cramped studio could be my cozy oasis. My search sharply contrasts with Los Angeles (LA) County, where rising rents and disasters like the Eaton Canyon and...
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Luke GodswillEfficiency vs. WealthThe Department of Government Efficiencies' (DOGE) efforts to reduce the federal government's workforce will likely have consequences for the housing market in the Washington, DC metropolitan area, also known as the DMV. Eighteen percent of residents in the DMV who were employed by the federal government in 2023 have a...
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Luke GodswillFighting Fires with PenniesCan you imagine an intense fire that destroys your home and spreads over 200 football fields in just 25 minutes? To fight the fires straight from nightmares, California has enlisted the help of more than 1,800 incarcerated individuals to staff camps across the state. While the California Department of Corrections...
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Luke GodswillTales of Temporary HomelessnessHomelessness is not only a result of financial instability. The fires in Altadena and Pacific Palisades, California, displaced tens of thousands of people, while Hurricane Helene significantly impacted housing in western North Carolina. We estimate the climate-related devastation in Altadena, Pacific Palisades, and western North Carolina destroyed over 140,000 homes (see Table...
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Luke GodswillChild care workers“Number of child care workers declines in Georgia” – Courier Journal; “Staffing shortages wreak havoc on child care industry” – News 5 Cleveland; Iowa child care centers struggle to find staff” – KCRG. All over the country, the issue of adequate staffing continues to be a challenge for the child...
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Luke GodswillSista’s on the Rise - Huge Wins for Small BusinessesLet's face it! It has been a challenging few years for women small business owners; we have dealt with a global pandemic, shaky supply chain, uncertain economy, labor shortages, and inflation. In last week's Wiser Wednesday, I discussed the Inflation Reduction Acts potential benefits for women business owners as black...
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Luke GodswillWISERJuly 19th marks 177 years since the Seneca Falls Convention, often celebrated as the beginning of the women's rights movement in the U.S. It’s undeniably a milestone—but like much of American history, it’s also complicated, incomplete, and exclusive by design. But let’s not forget a truth that too often gets...
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Luke GodswillWISER Wednesday July 23 the-arithmetic-of-vulnerabilityAs we approach the 30th anniversary of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA), the proposed One Big Beautiful Bill will reshape federal assistance in ways that could render entire communities statistically invisible. The Arithmetic of Abandonment Participation in the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program is 11.2% (Table 1) and 15.4%...
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Luke GodswillWISER Wednesday July 9 POVWhile I was attending the International Association for Feminist Economics 33rd Annual Conference, the "Big Beautiful Bill" passed. Or, as a panelist said, the "Big Brutal Bill". Over the next few months, Republicans will campaign to persuade their constituents that the bill will improve their lives. Meanwhile, Democrats will work...
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Luke GodswillOrganize and advocate to change the flawedAs we approach Independence Day for the United States (1776), I am thinking about my life as a Black woman in the United States, whose family history exemplifies the hypocrisy that I have come to accept as the lived experience of Americans. For example, we celebrate Independence Day, when the Continental...
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Luke GodswillAllowed in - because Title IX says soThis past Monday marked the 53rd anniversary of Title IX, the Educational Amendment of 1972, a landmark law prohibiting sex discrimination in education programs and activities funded by federal financial assistance. While Title IX is a critical component of civil rights, discrimination didn't just get up and leave the party. Instead,...
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Luke GodswillWhen the good jobs are goneToday, I presented research on the potential consequences of losing federal jobs as part of the Community Development Research Seminar Series, St. Louis Federal Bank. The title of my talk was "When the good jobs are gone." This research is in collaboration with Alberto Ortega, Jr. Alberto and I will answer...
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Luke Godswill5 years of WISER WednesdayFive years ago, I said Mike, Mike, Mike, Mike, Mike. Guess what day it is? Nope, not hump day. It's the kickoff of "WISER Wednesday." The WISER Wednesday email has two purposes: Please provide data that includes Asian, Black, Hispanic, Indigenous American, and Multiracial women regarding current events and policy issues. Challenge our perceptions...
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Luke GodswillThe journey to normal Amadou and MatildaI'll be off to California in a few weeks to celebrate one of my best friends' birthdays. Matilda is turning 50! I have campaigned for her to celebrate for months! I'd say, "Do you know how many people died in the first year of the (COVID-19) pandemic?" Over half a million...
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Luke GodswillCutting the Future to save the BudgetAcademia is clinging on for dear life amid the recent cuts to the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) grants program. Honestly, it feels like we are headed towards a revitalization of the Stone Age, a period known for its lack of scientific progress. We've been through science-centered budget cuts before—think post-Apollo-Era...
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Luke GodswillFrom COVID to DOGEIt has been 5 years since the country shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. When nearly 12 million women became unemployed, the shutdown was called the “shecession.” Back then, I tweeted about the disparity in unemployment between women. April’s unemployment rates show how women have “recovered” since the...
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Luke GodswillPerspectives about oppression: Oh, the hypocrisyI am back from Abu Dhabi, and re-entry into the U.S. went smoothly. I had reservations about visiting. How do I dress? Would I be safe as a woman, much less as a Black woman? Perspectives about oppression My concerns were based on my perception of how Muslim women are required to dress. ...
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Rhonda V. SharpeA Reminder to celebrate small winsToday on 1A, the guests discussed K-12 education concerns and the proposed budget. With all the focus on cuts to higher education research funding, I was surprised to learn that the FY 2026 Budget Request did not propose cuts to Title I or the Individual Disability Education Act (IDEA).Title I was created in 1965 as part...
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Jerry PenderFemale Federal Arrests and Booking Trends 2000 - 2021Introduction This study examines changes in arrest rates for women from 2000-2021, which captures changes during the Great Recession, recovery, and the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. We seek to identify changes in arrest rates for women that may reveal disparities by race, thereby providing support for criminal justice reform...
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Jerry PenderBan-the-Box: A View from the Labor and Housing MarketsMore and more citizens in our country are permanently losing the ability to fulfill some of their basic needs. These are individuals with past criminal histories. Historically, men have made up the bulk of the prison population, but research indicates that the number of incarcerated women increased from 26,378 in...
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Zaria RollerWomen’s Financial Wellbeing during the COVID-19 PandemicEconomic inequality has persisted throughout American history but need not be accepted as the norm. The economic fallout of the pandemic has been far from equal across gender, income level, and race/ethnicity. High unemployment, income disparities, wealth gaps, and other demographic factors have left women particularly vulnerable during this economic...
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Mary Kate KnoellRepealing Hyde for Reproductive JusticeIn discussions over women’s reproductive health, there can be confusion between reproductive rights and reproductive justice. Reproductive rights are enforced by the legal regulations that guarantee women access to reproductive health services. Reproductive rights activists fail to address the wider range of reproductive issues women face, such as choices for...
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Himaja C. NimmagaddaDisaggregating Data Provides Key Insights on Southeast Asian Immigrant WomenOn his first day in office, President Biden signed the Executive Order on Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government. This order should be recognized as a significant step in tailoring policy to creating equitable solutions for all – not just those who are white...
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Rhonda V. SharpeContribution Margin Ratio CM Formula + CalculatorA store owner will pay a fixed monthly cost for the store space regardless of how many goods are sold. Here, we are calculating the contribution margin on a per-unit basis, but the same values would be obtained if we had used the total figures instead. We’ll next calculate the contribution margin and CM...
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Rhonda V. SharpeGrandparents Day 9/7Dear WISER Community,Let me start by expressing my gratitude for your continued support. Thank you for your donations. Our WISER Women campaign exceeded our goal and raised $5,780. Thank you for the time you give reading our emails and for the kind words of support you send. Your support energizes Himaja, Jerry,...
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Valentina CastellarThe Final Rule: Students and Lawyers Share Their PerspectivesThe new Title IX “Final Rule,” released in early May 2020, was a disappointment for many Title IX advocates. We are deeply concerned that the introduction of live testimony and cross-examination of the accused and accuser, as a means of increasing due process, will place an unfair burden on low-income...
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Rhonda V. SharpeExtend PUA: Protect the Most Vulnerable AmericansOn Monday, the Trump administration instituted a freeze on temporary work visas and extended the ban on green cards issued outside the United States until 2021. The ban applies to new applications for H-1B visas, which allow companies to hire tech and other skilled workers, and H-2B visas for...
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Ashley ZehrtA Perfect Storm: Hurricane Season, a Global Pandemic, and Immigrant PopulationsThe COVID-19 pandemic has impacted nearly every facet of life, including critical hurricane season provisions made by emergency preparedness managers. Forecast models lean toward an Above-Normal 2020 hurricane season (June 1 – Nov 30) in the Atlantic Basin. While emergency preparedness leaders advise citizens to view shelters as a last...
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Rhonda V. SharpeIncome Share Agreements Are Debt: Maybe Even PredatoryVenture capital firms looking for new ways to squeeze money out of low-income communities have found a fresh brand of pig lipstick, which they call "income share agreements" or ISAs.The pushers of the deceptively named ISAs, including venture capitalists from Silicon Valley and the nonprofit Student Freedom Initiative, pitch the...
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Khushi X. BasnyatRefugee Resettlement Amidst COVID-19June 20th is World Refugee Day—a day to raise awareness about providing protection for refugees. This year also marks the 40th anniversary of the Refugee Act of 1980, a bipartisan law signed by President Carter that created the process and procedures for resettlement, established a determination of annual refugee admissions,...
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Rhonda V. SharpeHealth Insurance Coverage for Immigrant Hispanic Women in the U.S.The HEAL Act would provide access to Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for documented immigrants. Two out of every five immigrant Hispanic women (40% or 2.35 million) in the U.S. did not have health insurance (Fig. 1). This was a higher rate than White, Black, Asian, and...
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Rhonda V. SharpeDisaggregate Data for a More Inclusive SocietyLast August, I wrote, “Institutionalized exclusion is not just entrenched in the equitable access to quality education, employment, healthcare, housing, and a host of other goods and services, but is also rooted in how data are collected and reported.” When the headlines read “In N.Y.C., the Coronavirus Is Killing Men at...
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Rhonda V. SharpeShow Me The Data, But Disaggregate It FirstLast week, Rep. Ayanna Pressley and Sen. Elizabeth Warren requested comprehensive demographic data on people tested and treated for COVID-19. The legislators cited racial and ethnic disparities in health outcomes as the rationale for the request. But their request does not go far enough. While all federally funded research should report data by race,...
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Nina E. BanksThe Food Injustices of COVID-19 on Black CommunitiesLow-income, low-access (LILA) households in both urban and rural areas are often in communities referred to as “food deserts”—areas that lack access to foods that provide for a nutritionally adequate diet of whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, fresh meat, and high-quality dairy.
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Rachel Chou7 Inspiring Documentaries and Books about Women of Color for Women’s History MonthWomen’s history month is a reminder that we should ruminate on the legacies that women history makers have left for us. Here are seven inspiring documentaries and books about women of color that can be watched or read any time of the year.
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Rhonda V. SharpeDon't Call it "Magic"By Rhonda Vonshay Sharpe There was a time when hearing the phrase, “Black Girl Magic” made me beam with pride. Not anymore. The truth is there is nothing “magical” about what Black women accomplish. Dr. Willene Johnson reminded attendees at the 2019 Inaugural Sadie T. M. Alexander Conference that before we were...
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Rhonda V. SharpeInclusive Yoga ResearchBy Tamara Y. Jeffries When I welcome new students to my yoga classes, the first thing they want to know is what it’s going to do for them. “Will I lose weight?” “Will it end my depression?” “Will it fix my ADHD?” I tell them yoga can help many health conditions,...
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Rhonda V. SharpeMath Isn’t the Only PathMath has become the metric for being “gifted.” As if the ability to string words together to articulate your thoughts and awaken the reader's imagination is not a sign of “genius.” It is the brilliant prose of Margot Lee Shetterly that brought the stories of Katherine, Dorothy, and Mary to...
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Conversations with Women of Color
WISER Dialogue are thought provoking conversations with women of color about issues, policies, and research that impact our lives. WISER Dialogue elevates the voices of Asian, Black, Hispanic and Indigenous American women by including their viewpoint.














