Gender/Sex: Caster Semenya

I might be completely behind the times, but a New Yorker from a couple of weeks ago was the first to inform me of Caster Semenya.

She won the gold medal in the 800 meters at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics with a time of 1:55.45 in the final, again the fastest time of the year.* Following her victory, questions were raised about her gender.

The New Yorker article, "Either/Or" about her and her case is great. The author, Ariel Levy is sympathetic to her case, calling her "breathtakingly butch."

But the article is also about South Africa and the importance of sports to the country.

And it is also about sex, gender, and a history of the way that athletic association including the International Olympic Committee have (unsuccessfully) defined (and verified) the sex of competitive athletes.

"Unfortunately for I.A.A.F. (the International Association of Athletics Federations) officials, they are faced with a question that no one has ever been able to answer: what is the ultimate difference between a man and a woman? “This is not a solvable problem,' Alice Dreger said. 'People always press me: 'Isn't there one marker we can use?' No. We couldn't then and we can't now, and science is making it more difficult and not less, because it ends up showing us how much blending there is and how many nuances, and it becomes impossible to point to one thing, or even a set of things, and say that’s what it means to be male."




*I have a soft spot in my heart for this race and the 4x800 meter relay. In high school I was lucky enough to be the slowest leg on the relay stacked with some pretty fast girls for a Class B (second largest class of schools in the state). We took state in the race twice, once beating even all of the class A teams. My leg was a whopping 27 seconds slower than Semenya's.

Couples and Money

Here is the MPR podcast on Couples and Money.

ATUS Survey Results: MARRIED PARENTS’ USE OF TIME, 2003-06

Check out this release:

Married mothers employed full time were more likely to do household
activities and provide childcare on an average day than were married
fathers employed full time, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of
Labor Statistics reported today. While married parents spent their
time in different ways, factors such as their employment status, the
age of their youngest child, and their spouse’s employment status were
related to the amount of time they spent in selected activities and
their likelihood of doing those activities.

Economica: Women and the Global Economy

Check out this online exhibit at the International Museum of Women.

Men Hit Harder By Recession

This just in! Men have been hit harder by the recession. Check out this article on the "Man-Cession."

Women in the Labor Force: 2009

Check out this Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) publication on Women in the Labor Force.

The State of American Women

Another from Time Magazine last week.

Both Men and Women Want more Help

Here is an article from Time Magazine on family friendly policies.

Ostrom: First Woman to Win the Nobel Prize in Economics

Here are some links to blogs and other commentaries on Elinor Ostrom's Nobel Prize:

Econospeak

The American Academy of Political and Social Science

Greg Mankiw

BLS Information on Occupations and Earnings

Here are a couple of Websites with information on

OCCUPATIONS

and

EARNINGS

and

PRODUCTIVITY

in the U.S.

Economics Explains the Uneven Dating Scene

See! Economics can be fun!

Why Not Military in Labor Force?

Here are a few answers that I have found. By the way, the BLS calls it the "civilian labor force." I am assuming that they are trying to get away from all sorts of complications, not least of which is a signed contract for four or more years.

From AmosWeb

Another from AmosWeb

Here is military as a percent of the labor force.

A (somewhat) Relevant Blog for your Perusal

Here's a link to Penelope Trunk's blog -- "Brazen Careerist." She is pretty funny and much of what she says here, we'll discuss in class.

Enjoy in your free time!

Finger Length and Testosterone in the Womb

Hi Everyone -
excellent discussion today, thanks!

Here is a little review of the study I mentioned in class.

Household Survey

Hi Everyone!
An example of the Excel spreadsheet that you will need to turn in to me by next Thursday is available on our ECO336 Website here.

Also a list of group assignments, emails and presentation dates is available here.

See you tomorrow!

Welcome to ECO336

Hello Everyone!
Welcome to the Fall Semester of 2009 and Lisa Giddings' ECO336 Women in the US Economy!

I've set up this blog for two reasons:
1. I often find great articles and news stories throughout the semester that I love to share with students and
2. This space is a great way to comment and share your thoughts with others in the class.

See you Tuesday!
-Lisa