Few Women in Management

Women made little progress in climbing into management positions in this country even in the boom years before the financial crisis, according to a report to be released on Tuesday by the Government Accountability Office.

As of 2007, the latest year for which comprehensive data on managers was available, women accounted for about 40 percent of managers in the United States work force.

In 2000, women held 39 percent of management positions. Outside of management, women held 49 percent of the jobs in both years.

Across the work force, the gap between what men and women earn has shrunk over the last few decades. Full-time women workers closed the gap to 80.2 cents for every dollar earned by men in 2009, up from just 62.3 cents in 1979.

Much of this persistent wage gap, however, can be explained by what kinds of jobs the sexes are drawn to, whether by choice or opportunity.

The new report, commissioned by the Joint Economic Council of Congress, tries to make a better comparison by looking at men versus women in a specific industry and in similar jobs, and also controlling for differences like education levels and age.

For the full story see: The New York Times

What is Lumosity and How Can It Help Your Mind?

Lumosity is a website designed to help improve your cognitive abilities. According to their site, “The capacity of the human brain to make new associations and acquire new knowledge has been appreciated for hundreds of years. However, the brain’s ability to fundamentally reorganize itself when confronted with new challenges is a relatively recent discovery. In response to these challenges, the brain will adapt and change. Given the right kind of exercise, it will reshape itself to be more efficient and effective. This power of reshaping is referred to as neuroplasticity. Lumosity has adapted this cutting edge research in neuroscience and cognition to an accessible, enjoyable training program which will stimulate the brain and lead to improved cognitive ability and health.”

In less than 10 minutes a day, they claim you can improve your memory and attention. Think of it as exercising your mind. You can even give a membership to lumosity as a gift. It’s free for 7 days and the exercises are a lot of fun. They also provide feedback and detailed improvement tracking.

What are people saying about it?

Los Angeles Times said, “Lumosity presents a wide range of exercises that target different mental processes.”

New York Times said, “We can indeed form new brain cells, despite a century of being told it is impossible.”

It is popular because it makes learning fun. There is a lumosity scholar section that is specifically targeted to students. It is shown to improve standardized testing scores. Other sections are specifically targeted for certain areas such as those with ADHD, traumatic brain injury (TBI) or special math needs.

After a week, if you decide you want to stay with the program, you can join for under $7/month or buy a lifetime membership for $299.95.

Their users have claimed to have the following benefits:

Clearer and quicker thinking
Improved memory for names, numbers, directions, etc.
Increased alertness and awareness
Elevated mood
Better concentration at work or while driving