Hi Ellie, firstly don’t put yourself down. We can all have a discussion and see where we reach with an open mind.
I did see the video that Depleted put up. What I brought up was not gender wage gaps – but hidden biases with teachers leading to poor representation of women in STEM fields.
According to that video, they acknowledged women were underrepresented in five of the top paying majors except one. (they were STEM fields)
The research that I brought up brings one of the causations as hidden biases in societies (teachers) that kept girls from achieving and doing as well as boys in the USA compared to 65 countries across the world.
These are the organizations that provided the research for the data. Since you are questioning the motives, it is up to you to decide whether you want to believe it or not.
The NBER does research on inequality but not it is just not about racial divides.
According to their programs these are the 20 areas of research they focus on. [source:
http://www.nber.org/programs/program_desc.html]
Aging, Asset Pricing, Children, Corporate Finance, Development of the American Economy, Economics of Education, Economic Fluctuations and Growth, Energy and the Environment, Health Care, Health Economics, Industrial Organization, International Finance and Macroeconomics, International Trade and Investment, Labor Studies, Law and Economics, Monetary Economics, Political Economy, Productivity, and Public Economics
I do not understand in clear terms what your exact opposition is to their research on racial divides. The truth is it exists, whether we like it or not.
The problem is society has made it such that some people of different races have a higher propensity to be “less than”.
As you might know, institutionalized poverty is a huge issue not just in the USA but also across the world. This is propagated through socio-economic inequalities exacerbated by race issues.
Let’s not even bring the psychological impact it has on different people. How would these come out to light if people do not research about it?
We need the data to substantiate why policies etc. should change. Otherwise everything would be according to human opinions and as you said– we are fallen creatures,
I do want to add the NBER is the largest economic research organization in the USA giving dates for recessions with highly respected economists on their council.
Meanwhile the OECD is inter-governmental focusing on economic progress and world trade.
I would like to think that we all have a deep interest in fixing the issues of society. I am glad you have a deep interest in children and you have a heart for the issues that you see them go through.
However, the question comes about – how do we fix it? Does one issue negate another?
Can we have multiple interests?
I am quoting James Emman Kwegyir Aggrey, who said this –
“If you educate a man you simply educate an individual, but if you educate a woman, you educate a whole nation.”
The problems that women go through are very real ones. So do men. This isn’t about superiority or crushing another gender.
It matters if you stand up for justice, foster equality and encourage both young men and women to the same heights. It matters if you have hidden biases but do your best to overcome them; if you would stand up to be a voice for the benefit of both men and women.
That might seem like activism but that is part of the Christian walk. What does God require of us?
Micah 6:8 - to do justice and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with God.
Much love to you too
Rachel