October | 2017 | Work in Progress

Fearless girl statute in New York City. An audit of the firm that designed it revealed they had been systematically underpaying women and minorities. (Photo via Boston Globe)

Here is our latest collection of the news and essays we’ve been reading. Happy Friday!

Equifax

Equifax makes money by knowing a lot about you (Seattle Times)

How the Equifax Hack Could Hurt Anyone Applying for a Job (The Atlantic)

At Work

It’s nine years since the recession. So why are employers still stingy with raises? (Washington Post)

The gender pay gap that still needs to be closed (The Economist)

The firm that brought us ‘Fearless Girl’ was underpaying women, U.S. government says (Washington Post)

Cuba

Clueless on Cuba’s economy (The Economist)

A ‘Sonic Attack’ on Diplomats in Cuba? These Scientists Doubt It (New York Times)

U.S. expulsion of Cuban diplomats includes all business officers (Reuters)

Gender

Super Awesome Sylvia was a role model to girls in science. Then he realized he is a boy. (Washington Post)

The Department of Justice Takes a Stand Against Transgender Rights in the Workplace (The Atlantic)

Should Universities Ban Single-Gender Discussion Panels? (The Chronicle)

Tensions on Campus

Confederate Flags With Cotton Found on American University Campus (New York Times)

After a Speaker Is Shouted Down, William & Mary Becomes New Flash Point in Free-Speech Fight (The Chronicle)

Racist Incidents Plague U. of Michigan, Angering Students and Testing Leaders (The Chronicle)

Death at a Penn State Fraternity (The Atlantic)

Nemoto

by Kumiko Nemoto

It might be expected that a surge in the number of highly educated women living in an advanced economy and under a democracy should increase gender equality in that society, including the number of women leaders in business. However, despite such a surge in Japan, it remains one of the least gender-equal advanced countries in the world, with women constituting only 11 percent of managers and only 3 percent of board members.

My new book asks why the number of women remains so low in upper management in Japanese companies in Japan.

The absence of women leaders in a workplace hierarchy and a large concentration of women at the bottom is known as vertical sex segregation. The vertical sex segregation of Japanese companies is closely related to corporate management, the employment structure, and institutional features that support corporate customs.