Discrimination in the Workplace: Women & Obesity

   

An article in the Journal of Human Resources titled “The Economic Reality of the Beauty Myth” found that family income of obese women is about 17 percent lower than that of women who have a more regular weight. Economists Susan Averett and Sanders Korenman also found that that differential was significantly less for men than it was for women. What does this say about women in the workplace? What does this say about that role beauty plays in employment?

 It is already known that women are discriminated in the work atmosphere. They make 85 cents for every dollar made by men. But when women are obese, they make even less. Why? Can an employer assume that a thinner employee will have better performance and be more productive? The fact is that in today’s workplace, jobs are actually more sedentary and actually may contribute to the obesity factor. Technology has allowed people to sit at computers all day for the majority of their work. Regardless, the further people are from society’s idea of beauty the more discrimination they will face in the workforce; and obesity is no exception

               Does this mean that there is a somewhat “beauty discrimination” in the market for jobs? Our instinct is to decline this presumption, and hope that people would hire people only on the basis of their qualification. Yet, in many ways, we know that this is not reality. There is beauty discrimination and employers take into significant consideration the “look” a person has when applying for a position. Yet, this “beauty effect” also depends on the job at hand. If the job is for a desk clerk or another position that deals with people on a daily basis, then yes, there may be beauty discrimination. Although it is a sad reality, beauty is a large factor in how people are treated. Employers, knowing this, may hire based on beauty if they know their employee will be working face to face with customers. If employees are working in a job that does not require interaction with customers then beauty may not be taken into account in the same way. 

But what makes women so much more discriminated against then men? The larger income penalty could be explained because women are child bearers and tend to be viewed as responsible for the family. Women are victimized because employers usually feel that they are likely to pick up and move to follow their husband’s job or take care of their family. This is not just with obese women but rather with all women in general. It has long been established within societal culture that men are considered the “bread winner” in the home and that women are nothing more than the child bearers. But as more and more women obtain equal degrees as men and strive to create a profession for themselves, they feel that they deserve equal paying jobs. The reality is that since men obtain most senior management positions, women have a tough time securing a job that is a typical “man” position. If a man is use to being the supporter of his family, then he may, even subconsciously, decline a women based on her gender because that his the way he feels it should be in all families.

Fortunately, women have made tremendous stride in the workplace in just the past few decades. The only place to move from here is up. We would all like to imagine a society where beauty and gender do not affect a person’s pay nor employment opportunities. Maybe one day, as strides continue, this fantasy will become a reality.

John Maynard Keynes on Taxation

The avoidance of taxes is the only intellectual pursuit that still carries any reward. Taxation is a device used to implement wrongful money extracting from the citizens of the United States. At this rate most ideas or implemented theories on the current economic government will eventually die out. I concur that the optimal opinion of the people would to lower taxes in each state. It makes economical sense to do according to the research I submitted many years ago. A simple theory I proposed logically makes sense, and many Americans can take it into accordance. Put modestly if inflation is lowered then that will result in employers making capital investments, which would then have an outcome of hiring more employees. This will hence leave to major investment created by investors, which will then restore the economy and mend the failing growth. The fact that other economists believe that taxes are beneficial are completely incorrect. It is quite a blasphemy that the hard-working American citizens should have to pay extra money to a government economical system, which is clearly failing. Employers will not increase employees to produce items, which will not be sold due to an incompetent demand. I also theorize and believe the lower the business conditions the more capital investment shall be reduced. I strongly believe those business shall not take to advantage investment opportunities, which effects the reduction of overall expenditures and employment. It is my overall principal to say the conglomerate spending in the economy has a direct effect on output and inflation. The Great Depression was occurring during my span of existence. The ideas presented above were my attempt to understand the mystery of it all. I believe optimal economic performance could quite indeed be achieved. It is just the means by how this could be done. Going back to the stimulating issue of taxation, I believe lower taxes will approve current economics performance. I have always repeated the same phrases with taxation into regards taxes will stimulate demand, the Depression would have turned around in a heart beat if my beliefs and theories were implemented! You see, the aggregate demand by the activist stabilization and economic intervention policies by the government are constantly influenced. I believe in a demand-sde theory, even though this will help the economy in the short, run I guarantee it will be proven to work. Aggregate demand is completely influenced by a plethora of economic decisions that occasionally behave spontaneously. Now fiscal and monetary policies can affect aggregate demand. There are quite a few principles I also believe in relating to aggregate demand. Also according to my well popular beliefs the changes in aggregate demand have a short run outcome on real output along with employment. Inflation rises, when unemployment falls. In the long run, we are all dead. Fluctuations or changes in spending or also government expenditures could quite cause the output to fluctuate as well. We all know that government spending will increase, which means output will hence increase. I also strongly believe in the multiplier effect. This meaning output increases by a multiple of original change, which originally cause it. The multiplier must be greater than zero, which is the only snag in my theory. Now, prices and wages respond quite slowly to change in supply and demand. This will then result into small shortages, for a brief period of time, and along with that surpluses mostly regarding labor. Milton Friedman acknowledged, “under any conceivable institutional arrangements, and certainly under those that now prevail in the United States, there is only a limited amount of flexibility in prices and wages.” Yes all of this relates back to taxation because everything is linked together, to help the struggling economy.  I strongly do not believe any type of unemployment is ideal. It is thoroughly subject to the caprice of aggregate demand, and because prices adjust gradually! This is the only way the economy will for sure work out. I believe and many of my followers believe unemployment to be high on average too variable. There needs to be much theoretical justification. Recessions and depressions I believe are not part of the economic business cycle, and just are market responses to unattractive opportunities. Also my followers and fellow philosophers believe in advocating activist stabilization policies. This will reduce the amplitude of the business cycle. The government cannot know when to fine tune everything at full employment. Changes in policies, can always mess up some of my theories. Changes affecting the economy could take months to restore proper balance. I truly believe that unemployment needs to be resolved. All of the evidence I have research concludes the costs of low inflation are very minute! The government action which regulates economic value judgments are based on macroeconomic fluctuations significantly reduce economic well-being. The government has to improve its free market system. That is not even an option. There is a definitive way to cure recessions if my theories are utilized.  Now on regards to the current economic state in 2014 I have many opinions. How come the modern economists did not listen or implement my practices and theories. Raising taxes will not make the economy better or lower the national debt. I have been repeating this phrase and many others up to my death. If an item is pricey, then point blank less people will buy the specific product. Let us take for example a watch. Some watches cost thirty dollars others cost five-thousand. Why would you get more of a more expensive watch, when the only purpose is to tell time.  This concept relating to cost is also similar to that of income. A peaked income will result in the less income you will finally see. Taxation is always fluxed when incomes rise. The government often times takes too much of the citizens money. The economy is swimming with tax dollars, we will most likely never see again. The government does not let the people have full knowledge of every issue arising. Back to the original idea of raising taxes. It is an idea not even worth mentioning in the recession. Raising taxes will just wreck havoc amongst the entire nation! There will be pandemonium in the streets, and chaos spread through the country. It is just an extra weight added onto each loyal citizen. Extra taxes mean less income, and less spending, which fuels the economy. Nor should the argument seem strange that taxation may be so high as to defeat its object, and that, given sufficient time to gather the fruits, a reduction of taxation will run a better chance, than an increase, of balancing the budget. Income needs to be maximized, and result in reveues. “For to take the opposite view today is to resemble a manufacturer who, running at a loss, decides to raise his price, and when his declining sales increase the loss, wrapping himself in the rectitude of plain arithmetic, decides that prudence requires him to raise the price still more–and who, when at last his account is balanced with nought on both sides, is still found righteously declaring that it would have been the act of a gambler to reduce the price when you were already making a loss. From a business perspective it s not logical to say the least to raise prices in a time of need. Cutting prices on the opposite spectrum will increase sales, which the same ideas should be applied to taxes. Raising taxes does not improve the problem, it just creates an even grander one. Once again repeating my previous statements, the solution is to not raise taxes. Even though it seems by looking at much of the data the tax rates have been lower, the government creates hidden taxes. With so many taxes being in the modern world, I am quite content I am not living in this era. This generation will be swimming in debt and recession if the taxes are not regulated or lowered. It seems there is taxation on telephones, gas, cable, almost everything, which can cause inflation and higher prices of goods. It seems nothing I said in regards to taxes have stuck with this government. Back in my day my theories were proven, but it seems today there is no logic involved with decision-making. Why should the government raise taxes if I have repeatedly stated taxes should be lowered in order to get out of a recession? All in all, like I have stated throughout my entire rant….the solution to get out of debt is to not tax the citizens.

Karl Marx on Employment and the Labour force

The working day is in fact a period of twenty-four hours. Now, of course we have to take into account a few hours for sleep. All of this information was concluded directly from the capital. It seems to be quite obvious that the average worker is no more than an industrial slave for the entire span of his or her life. It is absolutely no different than it is today. Every where I turn in this corrupted world, I see workers acting no different than animals, struggling each hour just to get food on the table. Why would people spend the time labouring when they have the opportunity to education, and social functions, which inspire intellectual development? There is a hunger for surplus labour, and no room for the needs of the people such as time for growth, development, and maintaining a healthy body. The body, which is spending too much time working, will become exhausted over time hours from a surplus of overtime working hours. No matter how painful the labour must be for the worker it is a necessity by the Capitalistic Society. These hard working citizens should not be reprimanded if they are sick or in poor health. There is a limit the Capital needs to place on the amount of hours one works, but the Capital does not care nor ask questions regarding the well being of a person.

The extending workday is slowly approaching; this is not only detrimental to the people but also to the entire labour power itself. The value of labour-power is necessary for the continuation of the existence of the working class. Another appalling aspect of Capital is the proclamation of the children’s blood sweat and tears into the work force. Children had the job of working in factories, but thankfully there is now a cap on 10 hours of work ages 12 and older.

The evil of the factory system has appeared to us to be the continuation of labour of children at the utmost length that of that of the adults. This creates an evil force, which overpowers the morals I personally have. At least the child law has been passed in my area, and I do happen to agree with the modern day policies on child labour. China is evil. They should not be having children continuously working in factories, there is no need to hurt innocent children and create an excess labour market involving kids. With an overbearing amount of kids and adults in the work force this just cannot work. It couldn’t possibly work with the society. We need less people to work in the capitalistic society. Have unemployment is beneficial towards a Capital.

Due to the new policies of the United States, I do agree with the unemployment rate. I believe the rate could even be a little lower, however I do believe mostly everything else is wrong. The modern government in the United States is complaining about the unemployment rate being so high between youth and adults in their mid-twenties. Why is this a problem? We need unemployment to strive, there needs to be people not working because over working will cause corruption to the world!

Adam Smith on the State of the Workforce

Whereas, once in the past, the past which extended from before my time to after my death, but was lost somewhere before the present, men would work long days and three jobs, doing backbreaking work in fields or factories, only to avoid not having to borrow a month’s rent from a neighbor or even a family member, today the situation seems to be quite different. The spirit which drove our nation to independence has apparently been lost to the sands of time.

The US economy for the few centuries of its meager existence has seen its fair share of ups and down but has nonetheless managed to stitch itself together despite being first tariffed and taxed by the British and then splintered by the civil war, and having crumbled during the great depression. Now the nation, however, is faced with a burden which no amount of stitchery can ever mend together if it is allowed to develop. For the first time in our history, the greatest burden is not war nor devastating drought, but the apparent lethargy of the population. Never before have I seen such a group of people so unwilling to work, that they rather sit at home doing nothing, living a meager existence on the government’s dime. Such a work ethic, or lack thereof, will undoubtedly be a significant drain on the economy for years to come. A nation can seldom survive if it has no “working populous.”

It seems as though every major issue with the US economy stems from this unwillingness of the population to make a living and do work. On primal example is the Government debt. Of course a large portion of this debt is incurred through such expenses as defense of the nation, and this is of course justified. If our nation had not put up money for its protection from the rule of the crown, we would have never attained our status as “sovereign.” Much in the same way as it was necessary back then to defend our nation, the same holds true today. The main issue, which should not be an issue at all, is this inherent need by most people to seek shelter and provisions of all sorts from the government. The government should not be providing free food, free portable phones, free housing, and most certainly not free currency to as many people as it does, with no extraneous circumstances to warrant such behavior.

Before now, it would be thought of as shameful to seek help, especially in the form of money, from the government. That, however, nowadays, seems to be the norm. Not only is it a massive source of debt to the government, but it also has the unintended and largely overlooked consequence of creating a massive drag on the economy itself. When people refuse to work, and assume the money will keep filling their pockets, the whole essence of economics is corrupted. If everybody stops working, and that may very well happen if the general trend continues at its current rate, then all workings of the government will stop, as will the workings of the public market, and every other aspect of our nation. The revolutionary war will have been for nothing and all that for which the nation fought, will have been lost.

I have lived some of the earliest days of our nation, and never before have I been this worried as to its survival. In the past, whenever we have faced turmoil, we have at least held on to the things which made us strong: our strength of will, our determination, and our desire to work hard to get to where we want to go. Now, for the first time, it is not an outside force rocking our nation, but it is us, ridding ourselves of the qualities which have kept us together as a nation, through thick and thin. For once, I truly worry as to the fabric of our nation which so many gave up their lives to form and protect. Once our desire to work is lost forever, and we embody the idea of being a “entitlement nation,” the economy which has been praised as being the strongest in the world will crumble to pieces, and not soon after, so will our once great nation.