Gender, Depression, and Blue-collar Work: A Retrospective Cohort Study of US Aluminum Manufacturers

Having the right face for the job: The effect of facial width‐to‐height ratio on job selection preferences

Prior research has found that various job candidate characteristics can influence hiring decisions. The current work used experimental methods to test how a novel, appearance-based cue known as a facial width-to-height ratio (fWHR) can bias hiring preferences. A first study provides evidence for our initial hypothesis: people believed high fWHR candidates would be a better fit for blue-collar jobs compared with low fWHR candidates, who were in turn favoured for white-collar jobs. A second study replicates this initial finding and extends it by demonstrating that the effect of fWHR-derived trait inferences of strength and intelligence on hireability predictably varies by job type. Finally, in a third study, we find that this bias reverses when traditional stereotypes of blue-collar and white-collar jobs requiring physicality and intellect are subverted, finding that perceptions of the fit between face type and presumed job requirements matter most for hiring preferences. Together, these findings demonstrate how a seemingly subtle appearance-based cue can have robust implications for hiring.

Inequities in paid parental leave across industry and occupational class: Drivers and simulated policy remedies

Introduction

Paid family leave (PFL) has the potential to reduce persistent health disparities. This study aims to characterize differences in access to paid leave by industry sector and occupational class.

Methods

The Bay Area Parental Leave Survey of Mothers included respondents 18 years of age or older who worked in the San Francisco Bay Area and gave birth from 2016 to 2017. Using linear probability models, we examined differences in five separate measures of PFL by industry sector and occupational class. We extended our regression analysis to simulate the full pay equivalent (FPE) weeks of leave that would have been taken under hypothetical scenarios of increased uptake and wage replacement rates.

Results

Our study included 806 women in private for-profit or non-profit jobs. In fully adjusted models, blue-collar workers were 10.9% less likely to take 12 weeks of paid parental leave versus white-collar workers (95% CI: -25.9, 4.1). Respondents were 19.2% less likely receive 100% of their regular pay if they worked in education and health services (−29.1, −9.3) and 17.0% less likely if they worked in leisure and hospitality (−29.5, −4.4) versus respondents in professional and financial services. Respondents in leisure and hospitality reported 1.6 fewer FPE weeks of leave versus respondents in professional and financial services (−2.73, −0.42) and blue-collar respondents reported an average of 1.5 fewer FPE weeks versus white-collar workers (−2.66, −0.42). In our simulation analysis, when we manipulated rates of uptake for paid leave, the disparities in FPE by industry sector and occupational class were eliminated.

Conclusion

We observed substantial inequities in access to paid leave by industry sector and occupational class. These findings underscore the potential importance of universal PFL programs with universal benefits to reduce clear inequities that persist within the labor market today.

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Paid family leave (PFL) has the potential to reduce persistent health disparities.

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Many US workers rely on their employers to voluntarily provide leave or go without PFL altogether.

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We explore PFL access across the labor market among mothers in the SF Bay Area.

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Access to PFL is limited among blue-collar and leisure and hospitality workers.

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Further policy interventions aimed at increasing uptake are needed.

Working: The Role of Occupational Epidemiology

The COVID-19 pandemic redemonstrated the importance of work as a determinant of health. Extant disparities were accentuated, as the workforce was divided into the roughly 50% who could safely work from home and those who could not. With the spotlight on work, one might wonder where all the occupational epidemiologists have gone. To answer, we point to diminished research support and more limited workplace access that have led many to shift away from a focus on workers towards other vulnerable populations. We build on the renewed interest in work as a driver of health and inequality during the pandemic to highlight contributions of occupational epidemiology to public health. Consider: (1) etiologic studies of chronic disease based on employment records to define cohorts and reconstruct long-term exposure; (2) studies of hypothetical interventions particularly appropriate for evaluating potential regulations to reduce workplace exposures; and (3) studies of disparities that take advantage of work as a potential source of social stratification and economic opportunity. As we have learned during COVID-19, workplaces can become venues for public health messaging and delivering interventions to enumerated populations of adults. By starting with COVID-19 prevention policies, we have a chance to protect public health and rethink work.

Prevalence of depression disorder in industrial workers: a meta-analysis

Objectives. Depression is known to be associated with a variety of occupational factors. The aim of this study was to meta-analyze the prevalence of depressive disorder in industrial workers. Methods. Three databases indexing abstracts of articles were selected and searched until August 2020: PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus. For each study, the sample size and number of depression events were extracted, and after extracting these data, the random effects method was used to assess the prevalence. I² and χ² values were used to investigate the heterogeneity. Results. The prevalence of depressive disorder in industrial workers is 21%. The prevalence of depressive disorder in men and women industrial workers is 23 and 28%, respectively. The prevalence of depressive disorder in Asia, Europe and America is equal to 22, 18 and 20%, respectively. The result of the heterogeneity test showed that the heterogeneity is high. Conclusion. The prevalence of depression in industrial workers is higher than in the general population. These differences can be due to the working conditions of industrial workers. Therefore, the work environment and the promotion of occupational health can play an important role in preventing depression.