Care News Weekly Roundup
This week's news on the work-life conflict, care, the care crisis, the care economy and human well-being.
Friday, February 17, 2012
ARTICLES
It's the Wealth Gap, Stupid
From: Mother Jones
By: Reid Cramer
"In recent years, the fortunes of the Romneys and others in their cohort have continued to grow, notably diverging from the majority of Americans still struggling to deal with a slow economic recovery. The Occupy Wall Street protesters stole the media spotlight this past fall by creatively highlighting these discrepancies. President Obama has taken notice and, as reflected in his State of the Union address, is teeing up inequality as a major campaign theme for the fall. But it is not enough to highlight the gap between incomes of the top 1 percent and the bottom 99. What's more alarming-and consequential over the long haul-is the growing concentration of wealth."
http://motherjones.com/politics/2012/02/its-wealth-gap-stupid
OP-ED
The M.R.S. and the Ph.D.
From: The New York Times
By: Stephanie Coontz
"Today women earn almost 60 percent of all bachelor's degrees and more than half of master's and Ph.D.'s. Many people believe that, while this may be good for women as income earners, it bodes ill for their marital prospects."
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/12/opinion/sunday/marriage-suits-educated-women.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all
RADIO
From: The Diane Rehm Show
By: Diane Rehm
"The widely praised Violence Against Women Act faces a tough reauthorization battle. Though introduced in a bipartisan way, it passed the Senate Judiciary Committee on a party-line vote with all the Democrats voting to move it to the full Senate and all the Republicans voting against. Diane will speak to the chair of the committee and cosponsor of the bill, Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont. Diane and a panel of experts will examine VAWA and why some object to provisions of the act which include gay, transgendered and undocumented immigrants."
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2012-02-13/objections-reauthorizing-violence-against-women-act
What Retirement? Seniors Are Getting Back To Work
From: NPR's All Things Considered
By: Yuki Noguchi
"At 75, many people imagine they'll be retired and spending their time playing cards or on a golf course. But according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of working seniors is actually on the rise. In fact, it's more than doubled since 1990."
http://www.npr.org/2012/02/13/146227020/what-retirement-seniors-are-getting-back-to-work
Income, More Than Race, Is Driving Achievement Gap
From: NPR's Talk of the Nation
By: Neal Conan
"The achievement gap between black and white students has narrowed significantly over the past 50 years. The gulf between rich and poor students, however, has widened dramatically. Several studies suggest that family income serves as a better predictor of school success."
http://www.npr.org/2012/02/13/146816813/income-more-than-race-is-driving-achievement-gap
INTERACTIVE
The Geography of Government Benefits
From: The New York Times
"See the share of Americans' income that comes from government benefit programs like Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, veterans' benefits and food stamps."
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/02/12/us/entitlement-map.html?ref=us
VIDEO
The Debt Fix
From: The New York Times
By: Binyamin Appelbaum
"The Times's Binyamin Appelbaum travels to Minnesota, where residents share personal accounts about their increasing reliance on government programs. Many are deeply conflicted."
http://video.nytimes.com/video/2012/02/11/us/100000001348322/the-debt-fix.html?ref=us