Posted by Elena del Valle on May 9, 2011
Debra L. Ness, president, National Partnership for Women and Families
Photos: National Partnership for Women and Families, American Association of University Women
On average, full-time working women in the United States are paid $10,622 less than their male counterparts, according to recent research conducted by the National Partnership for Women and Families, in conjunction with the American Association of University Women (AAUW), in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
In California, for example, where 1,593,474 households are headed by women, there is a wage gap of $8,370 between full-time working men and women. In New York, 1,050,106 households are headed by women and there is a wage gap of $8,590; in Florida 897,308 households are headed by women and the wage gap is $7,013 between full-time working men and women.
The researchers in this case estimate that were the gap to close it would have a dramatic impact on the lives of many families. They point out that in Alaska, but for the gap women could buy 1.7 years’ worth of food; working women in Connecticut could afford 15 more months of rent; their counterparts in Michigan could make 10 more months of mortgage and utility payments; and working California women could buy 2,100 more gallons of gas.
“This new data illustrate the very real harm unequal wages are doing to America’s working families,” said Debra L. Ness, president, National Partnership for Women and Families. “It is long past time to close the gender-based wage gap. With women playing an increasingly important role as family breadwinners, there is no time to waste.”
Although women head nearly 14.5 million households nationwide and the majority of working mothers in the United States are the source of at least a quarter of their families’ earnings, women working full-time are only paid an average of 77 cents for every dollar paid to full-time working men, according to the Partnership. Since the 1963 Equal Pay Act passed the wage gap has narrowed half a cent per year, the research points out; and if it continues the same way, the working women of tomorrow will earn the same as the men by 2058.
Linda Hallman, executive director, American Association of University Women
“This research proves that the gender pay gap is not simply a numbers issue or a women’s issue,” said Linda Hallman, executive director, the American Association of University Women. “It’s a bread and butter issue. It’s an everyday issue for people who are trying to support their families and provide for their futures. No more lip service, it’s time to act.”
It is harder still for African-American and Latino women. Nationally, in 2009, African-American women working full-time, year-round were paid only 61 cents for every dollar paid to men and Latinas only 52 cents, for every dollar paid to white, non-Hispanic men.
Established in 1971, the National Partnership for Women and Families is dedicated to creating “a society that is free, fair and just. Where nobody has to experience discrimination, all workplaces are family-friendly, and no family is without quality, affordable health care and real economic security.” The mission of the American Association of University Women, a nationwide network of more than 100,000 members and donors, is to advance “equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, philanthropy, and research.”
Posted by Elena del Valle on April 25, 2011
Photo: Brookings Institution
Although little information seems available about the attitudes and opinions of the up and coming generations, D.C.’s New Guard: What Does the Next Generation of American Leaders Think?, a 22-page report on the findings of a recent survey among youth with an interest in political careers, indicates this subgroup of the Millennial Generation, a large demographic group by all accounts, has its own characteristics and opinions as might be expected.
In terms of their political affiliations, 38.2 percent self identified as Democrats, 28.8 percent as Independents, and 26.4 percent as Republican. The profile is, according to the survey authors, different than the trends in the prior Generation X who grew up in the Reagan-era and exhibited more conservative attitudes than the Millennials. What the authors found most interesting was the large segment of youth leaders who remained unaffiliated with a political party even though many expressed views that might be associated with the Democratic point of view.
Want to target this group of leaders who may include future mayors, governors, and representatives through a news medium? Don’t try the evening news or late night comedy shows. While their responses to the survey indicate their source of news is traditional new organizations the evening news and late night comedy shows ranked low among them as a source of news. Thirty percent of Republican respondents preferred cable news to stay informed while Democrats and Independents consumed news from online news websites.
Who do they look up to when forming political opinions? Many of the respondents, 61 percent, said their parents were major influences. Political leaders accounted for 19 percent and media 12 percent. The survey authors concluded this aspect of the Millennials was quite different from the Baby Boomer Generation. When the Baby Boomers were young they tended to select a political view that was the opposite of that of their parents’. Celebrities and faith leaders had a relatively low political influence level among young Millennial leaders.
Assuming that the models young people admire today may influence their attitudes tomorrow, the survey authors asked what leaders from history they admired. More than one third (under 36 percent) chose a military leader or civilian leader closely associated with wartime like Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln, Dwight Eisenhower and Woodrow Wilson. The survey authors believe that is not surprising given that the United States the respondents have known to date has been at war for a majority of their lives. Fourteen percent admired a founding father such as Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe and Alexander Hamilton while 10 percent chose leaders of social change such as Martin Luther King, Jr. and Nelson Mandela. About one percent chose a religious figure such as Mother Theresa or the Prophet Mohammed as a leadership model for the 21st century.
When asked about a leader today that they admired more than 49 percent said Barack Obama, well past any other leader named. The political affiliations of those who preferred Obama as their “ideal leadership model,” were 62.8 percent Democrats, 28.5 percent Independents and 8.7 percent Republicans. Other listed as models who received between one and five percent included John McCain (with 5.5 percent favoring him as their model leader), Al Gore, Bill Clinton, Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice, Nelson Mandela and Hillary Clinton.
Although the survey authors did not ask about the ethnicity or cultural background of respondents (or did not share the information in the report), it is safe, based on the degree of diversity among American youth revealed by 2010 Census, to assume some degree of diversity among the respondents. It is unclear from their findings exactly what affiliations and opinions Hispanics, African Americans, Asians and others in this group of leaders may have. Now that this youth demographic group has been identified as worth watching maybe future surveys and research will reveal more about the leadership attitudes of the Millennial Generation and its diverse market segments.
The survey, published on the Brookings Institution website in February 2011, was conducted among 1,057 young American leaders who were attendees at the National Student Leadership Conference, as well as the Americans for Informed Democracy young leaders’ courses, and DC internship programs by P.W. Singer, Heather Messera, and Brendan Orino. The respondents were 16 plus years old on average, 45 percent women and 55 percent men. The largest geographic representation was 34.6 percent from the Mid-Atlantic region followed by 15 percent from the South, 14 percent from the Pacific, 13 percent from the Midwest, 12.1 percent from New England, 8.7 percent from the Southwest, and 2.6 percent from the West. The northeast was overrepresented while the rest of the country was underrepresented according to the survey authors.
Posted by Elena del Valle on April 11, 2011
Health care expenditure comparisons – click to enlarge
Graphs: Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
A new Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) 227-page report, Economic Policy Reforms Going for Growth, highlights issues relating to growth among member, and some non member countries. The report outlines salient issues and suggested recommendations for individual countries including the United States. While the organization’s researchers concluded our GDP (gross domestic product) is one of the highest among OECD members thanks to high labor productivity they found relative labor utilization had dropped. They noted the benefits of recent health care and financial sector changes while calling for additional changes they believe to be necessary especially in education, health care and tax reform.
The first priority the analysts drew attention to was education, explaining that in spite of high per pupil spending United States student scores were below the OECD average in the international student test (PISA). The report calls for an improvement in teacher education and development in order to increase student achievement; and suggests the United States make schools accountable for student progress. In light of the 2010 Census numbers that point to minority markets as the main source of demographic growth in the country the importance of education among minority students is likely waxing.
Secondary education performance comparison – click to enlarge
Health care expenses are already high and continue rising at a steady pace, according to the report released last week. The researchers concluded that while last year’s health care reform law reduced long term expenditures it is unclear how it will affect health care. They recommend the adoption of Medicare provider reforms after pilot testing; and that the health tax exclusion (i.e. the exclusion from taxable income and payroll tax of compensation in the form of health insurance cover) be limited beyond what was planned to reduce incentives for people to buy health plans with little cost sharing.
The report recommends the United States broaden the tax base by “reducing the value of the mortgage-interest deduction on owner-occupied housing and limiting the health tax exclusion.” The analysts also think a move away from personal income towards consumption-based taxes such as a VAT is worth pursuing. Other recommendations included the reduction of agricultural subsidies and the adoption of policies that promote social mobility.
The OECD, about to turn 50, provides a forum for member governments to compare policy experiences, “seek answers to common problems, identify good practice and coordinate domestic and international policies.”
Posted by Elena del Valle on March 7, 2011
Twenty-two percent of survey respondents picked Head and Shoulders Shampoo as their favorite
Photo: Procter and Gamble
A 2010 Mintel survey of Hispanic personal care product attitudes and shopping habits indicates Latinos are brand loyal to their shampoo and conditioner across household income levels. In spite of the economic slow down, 60 percent of respondents to the survey said they buy the same brand of shampoo and conditioner. This was especially true for Spanish dominant shoppers.
Hispanics also favored styling products. Forty-six percent of survey participants said they buy styling gels and lotions, a greater percentage than Asians, Blacks and Whites.
More Hispanics, 57 percent, said they rely on conditioners to soften and detangle their hair than Whites, 49 percent. Many respondents in the Latino and Asian market segments, 24 percent, like to color their hair compared to only 18 percent of Whites and 20 percent of Blacks.
The top three shampoo brands among Latinos who participated in the survey were Head and Shoulders (preferred by almost one quarter of these survey takers) followed by Pantene and Suave.
English dominant Latino respondents didn’t respond well when it came to hairspray: 46 percent of English-dominant Hispanics said that they do not buy hairspray in comparison with 24 percent of Spanish dominant respondents.
Mintel is an international research company. This Mintel survey was conducted online in August 2010 among 534 U.S. Hispanic respondents aged 18 and older.
Posted by Elena del Valle on February 28, 2011
Spanish dominant Latinos continue to buy name brand personal care products, according to a 2010 survey
Photos: Procter and Gamble
Looking for a brand loyal market segment? While many consumers are cutting back on costs and choosing less expensive products during the recession lower income Spanish dominant Latinos continue to buy name brand personal care products; more than English dominant Latinos, according to a recent Mintel survey conducted online in August 2010 among 534 U.S. Hispanic respondents aged 18 and older.
Although many of the survey respondents had a lower-than-average household income level, they indexed higher than non-Hispanics in the consumption of personal care products in 2009. According to Mintel, over the last six years, Hispanics have consistently spent more on personal care products; although the researchers expect to find a less than 1 percent drop for 2010. Hispanics who responded to the survey index higher than non-Hispanics in the purchase of haircare products and bath products.
“Spanish-dominant Hispanics are most likely to stick to their favorite brand of hand soap, body soap and shower gel, signifying that less acculturated Hispanics remain loyal to the same brand despite the economy,” said Leylha Ahuile, senior multicultural analyst at Mintel, a research company. “English-dominant Hispanics tend to have higher household incomes and apparently are less concerned with brand name soaps and more focused on saving money.
Many of the Latino survey respondents said they favor multifunctional products
In spite of Hispanics’ lower-than-average household income level, they indexed higher than non-Hispanics in the consumption of personal care products in 2009. Over the last six years, Hispanics have consistently increased their spending on personal care products. And within personal care, Hispanics index higher than non-Hispanics in the subcategories of haircare products and bath products.”
Among the those surveyed by Mintel 64 percent of Hispanics who said they have an income between $25,000 and $49,999 said they still buy name brand body soaps or shower gels compared to 58 percent of English-dominant Hispanics who said they continue to buy name brand body soaps or shower gels even during the economic downturn.
Although they could switch to more affordable products Spanish-dominant consumers who responded to the survey said they are also more likely to stick to their favorite name brand lotions (51 percent versus 35 percent of English-dominant consumers), facial cleansers (27 percent versus 20 percent of English-dominant consumers) and toothpaste or mouthwash (69 percent versus 65% percent of English-dominant consumers).
Many of the lower-income Hispanics who participated in the survey indicated they are interested in saving money with multifunctional products. For example, 65 percent of those who earn between $25,000 and $49,999 said they are interested in two-in-one shampoo/conditioner, and 83 percent said they would be more inclined to purchase toothpaste that can also serve as a mouthwash and whitener.
Posted by Elena del Valle on February 21, 2011
Where did people in the United States go online the final month last year? Most of the names are familiar. Yahoo!, Google, Microsoft, Facebook, AOL, Ask Network, Amazon, Glam Media, Turner Digital and CBS Interactive were the top 10 websites visited by Americans December 2010, according to comScore, an online media measurement company.
Viacom Digital, Wikimedia Foundation Sites, Apple Inc., eBay, New York Times Digital, Demand Media, Fox Interactive Media, VEVO, Comcast Corporation, and Answers.com Sites make up the following 20 sites on the list.
Yahoo! Sites had 181.2 million visitors, followed by Google Sites with 179.3 million and Microsoft Sites with 177.0 million. Amazon Sites, with more than 91 million visitors, had its highest month of traffic on record from the holiday shopping surge, ranking number seven overall. It wasn’t all shopping online that month.
The Weather Channel and WeatherBug property both moved up the rankings in December, climbing six places and eight places, respectively. Winter blizzards and holiday travel likely prompted travelers and shoppers alike to check on the latest weather news.
Click to enlarge
According to comScore, although there is no mention of speakers of foreign languages in the United States, Google ads reached an estimated 93.3 percent of Americans online. Others with high reach on the list were Yahoo! Network Plus with an 86.6-percent reach, Yahoo! Sites with 85.5 percent and AOL Advertising with 85.0 percent. Amazon.com had a 36.0-percent reach.
Although the comScore data did not include information for demographic groups, a Pew Hispanic Center survey released earlier this month indicates Latinos may be less likely than whites to access the internet, have a home broadband connection or own a cell phone. The Pew researchers concluded that in 2010, 65 percent of Hispanic and 66 percent of black adults went online while 77 percent of white adults did so. Among those surveyed by Pew regarding broadband use at home, 45 of Latinos respondents said they have it, 65 percent of whites and 52 percent of blacks who answered the questions said they have broadband access at home.
Posted by Elena del Valle on February 14, 2011
A box of chocolates for Valentine’s Day
Photos: Conrad Miami
Valentine’s Day was declared in A.D. 496 by Pope Gelasius I. Although most of us know little or nothing about the pope the date has become popular as a day to express love and appreciation to those close to us. In the 1840s, a daughter of Massachusetts, is thought to be the first to sell mass-produced valentine cards. The tradition lives on with many people setting aside the day to celebrate love.
Thinking of selling a love related product or service? These figures may interest you. In 2008, 66.9 million opposite-sex couples lived together. In 2009, 2.1 million marriages (about 5,800 a day) took place in the United States; many of them in Nevada. That year 108,150 marriages took place in that arid state, making it the fifth nationally in marriages, even though its total population that year among states was 35th; California ranked first in marriages, according to the National Center for Health Statistics.
In 2010, first marriages took place at a median age of 28.2 and 26.1 years for men and women, respectively. Last year, 54.1 percent of adults responding to a national survey said they were married, according to Families and Living Arrangements: 2010.
At the same time the businesses that offer Valentine’s type products and services employ many people across several business sectors. For example, in 2008, there were 1,317 companies that produced chocolate and cocoa products (in 2009, Americans ate 23.4 pounds of candy per person, according to the Current Industrial Reports, Confectionery: 2009), employing 38,369 people. California led the nation in the number of chocolate and cocoa manufacturing establishments, with 146, followed by Pennsylvania, with 115; there were 422 establishments that manufactured non chocolate sweets products. They employed 16,860 people. California led the nation in this category, with 47 establishments, according to County Business Patterns: 2008.
The Spa at Conrad Miami is offering red rose promotions for Valentine’s Day
Beyond eatables there are many businesses that cater to love birds. Flower, cards and jewelry sellers figure prominently around this sweetheart centered holiday. The combined wholesale value of domestically produced cut flowers in 2009 for all flower-producing operations with $100,000 or more in sales was $359 million (domestic roses accounted for $18 million); again California took the lead, alone accounting for $269 million of the sales (Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service). In 2008, there were 18,509 florists nationwide which employed 89,741 people, according to County Business Patterns.
In 2008, there were 26,683 jewelry stores in the United States. In February 2010, the stores sold $2.4 billion in merchandise, according to County Business Patterns.
Businesses of other types also promote romantic packages or simply Valentine’s Day themed products and services. For example, the Spa at Conrad Miami hotel in Florida is offering red rose promotions between $120 and $200. These include a 60-minute aromatherapy massage and 30-minute organic sweet red rose facial; a 30-minute aromatherapy massage and 60-minute organic sweet red rose facial; and a Champagne mimosa manicure and pedicure and 30-minute organic sweet red rose facial.
Still looking for love? In 2007, there were 393 dating service companies including internet dating services, employing 3,125 people and making $927 million in revenue (source: 2007 Economic Census).
Posted by Elena del Valle on February 9, 2011
BradfordExchange.com, the most visited jewelry website
Americans hit the web with gusto this past holiday season. December 2010 saw an increase of 80 percent in retails site visits compared to the same time of year in 2009, according to comScore, Inc., a digital metrics company. According to a company spokesperson 85 percent of Americans visited an online retail site this past holiday season. Selling flowers or cards online? You probably did well in December.
The second retail category in online growth was digital seasons greetings with a 32 percent growth and 27.4 million visitors. Buyers of flowers, gifts and greetings were active during the last month of the year; 36.5 million visitors browsed and bought gifts online. Some items required shipping causing a spike in shipping site visits; 33.6 million Americans visited a shipping site in December, up 29 percent from the prior month.
AmericanGreetings Property was the category leader with 10.6 million unique visitors in December (up 28 percent) followed by Gifts.com with 7.7 million visitors, (up 36 percent), Hallmark with 3.8 million (up 10 percent) and 1-800Flowers.com, Inc. with 2.4 million (up 40 percent). ProFlowers.com more than doubled its audience in December, attracting 2.1 million visitors.
MyFunCards.com was the top e-card site with 7.1 million unique visitors (up 77 percent). Next was AG Interactive with 5.9 million visitors, a 47-percent increase. Evite.com came in third with 5.4 million, and 123Greetings.com with 3.3 million visitors (up 35 percent) was next.
Did you dream or splurge? Browse or buy yourself or a loved one jewelry? You were in good company. After watching their pennies during the recession many shoppers bought luxury goods this holiday season, resulting in an all-time high of 26.2 million unique visitors to Jewelry/Luxury Goods/Accessories sites that month.
BradfordExchange.com took the top spot in the category with 2.8 million unique visitors in December (up 15 percent), followed by Zale Corporation with 2.3 million visitors (up 26 percent), Coach.com with 2.1 million (up 14 percent) and Swarovski.com with 2.0 million (up 13 percent), according to comScore.
Posted by Elena del Valle on February 7, 2011
Click to enlarge
Graphic: comScore, Inc.
Emails reach more than 70 percent of the U.S online population each month. And, in November 2010, more than 153 million people visited web-based email providers, according to an online data company. Although email remains one of the most popular online activities are people relying less on web based email systems (that excludes applications like Outlook and Thunderbird) and more on mobile email?
A November 2010 comScore study indicates that may be happening. The study found the number of visitors to web based email sites declined 6 percent during that month compared to the previous year. During the same time period, the number of users accessing email via their mobile devices grew 36 percent.
In terms of engagement, the company’s analysts believe overall time spent in the email category declined 9 percent, while total pages viewed dropped 15 percent. Could part of the shift from web based email to mobile email and the level of engagement be the result of higher unemployment nationwide? Is it possible fewer people are accessing emails on the web and surfing online while working because there are fewer people employed?
Although the company’s analysts concluded there was a general change in email related behavior across age groups below 55 they believe young email users between the ages of 12-17 showed the sharpest decline in usage of web based email during the past year. They believe the number of visitors from this age segment declined 24 percent and engagement dropped by half as total minutes fell 48 percent and total pages dropped 53 percent.
There was a greater drop in usage among men; total email minutes for that period dropped 12 percent for men compared to 7 percent for women. On the other hand, use of web based email increase among older adults. Among those 55 to 64 accessing web based email increased 15 percent with similar gains in engagement; users older than 65 experienced gains across all three metrics.
When it came to mobile email in November 2010, 30 percent of all mobile subscribers (70.1 million mobile users, according to their estimates) used a mobile phone to read emails. That was an approximate increase of 36 percent from the previous year, the comScore researchers believe. Adults between 25 and 34 years old were 60 percent more likely to access email than other mobile users; those between the ages of 18-24 were 46 percent more likely to do so than older mobile phone owners. Men were 14 percent more likely to use email on the mobile phones.
ComScore, Inc., a digital measurement company, relied on data from the company’s comScore Media Metrix, which relies on panel-based and website server-based metrics, and MobiLens, a mobile media measurement tool, for the study. The habits of users of mobile devices aged 13 and older were examined in the study.
Posted by Elena del Valle on January 26, 2011
Click to enlarge
Graphic, photo: Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
As we look back at the housing market over the past few years and its impact on the economy it is still difficult to understand what exactly went wrong and what it may take to keep it from happening again. Seeing how other developed countries stand on the housing issue may give us some perspective and insights on how to move forward in the future.
According to Housing and the Economy: Policies for Renovation, a recently released chapter from the book Economic Policy Reforms 2011 Going for Growth from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), which tracks changes in 29 developed countries including the United States, poor housing policies played an important role in triggering the recent economic and financial crisis.
The chapter looks at ways in which housing policies might be designed for better results. The Organization’s analysts believe “effectively supervised financial and mortgage market development combined with policies that enhance housing supply flexibility are key for macroeconomic stability.”
Here are some of the analysts conclusions and recommendations from the chapter: Appropriate housing policies, designed for efficiency and equitability, can help residential mobility, match workers with jobs and assist the job market recovery. Any changes in the mortgage markets should be accompanied by regulatory oversight and careful banking regulations; and housing supply responsiveness to demand has the potential for improvement in many of the markets examined as long as investment in residential real estate is dealt with to avoid volatility.
Angel Gurria, secretary-general, OECD
“OECD countries have seen the damage caused by badly designed policies through their effects on housing markets,” said Angel Gurria, secretary-general, OECD in a press release. “As we search for new sources of growth, as we seek to restore trust in our financial sectors, as we try to green our economies, policies related to housing can have a huge impact on our future”.
The United States is in good company when in comes to housing and economic problems. The OECD says that easy credit over the past two decades increased the volatility of prices resulting in housing price jumps of 90 percent or higher in Australia, Belgium, Finland, Ireland, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Spain and the United Kingdom over the study period. Poor supervisory systems alongside deregulation and innovation in mortgage markets led in part to a “significant relaxation in lending standards, an increase in non-performing loans and the sub-prime crisis.”
The Organization recommends an increase in responsiveness of new housing supply to market demand, specifically the revisiting of licensing procedures that limit new housing projects and reconsidering land-use regulations that unduly prevent development. Its analysts believe a better supply may lead to less price volatility, fewer excessive price increases and encourage labor mobility.
It also supports the elimination of tax policies that favor housing over other types of investments. Such favoritism can lead to cheap lending fees which can lead to excessive investment, speculation and price volatility while at the same time limiting mobility. It encourages a system in which property taxes more accurately reflect the true market value of property.
