We’ve collected another month’s worth of research that interested us and has broad sector relevance. This set comes from recent weeks and includes insights on workplace issues like gender representation in management and age discrimination, the ACA’s role in shrinking racial disparity, projections for the 2020 Census, charitable giving, and long-term physical health for women with unwanted pregnancies.
Advancing Frontline Women
Back in February, FSG released a report examining how to address the underrepresentation of women in executive positions in the retail and services industry. The report authors wrote in Harvard Business Review at the time of the report’s release. Citing existing studies, the authors noted that even though women comprise half the retail workforce, less than 10% of CEOs in the industry are women. FSG examined 50 HR practices put in place by over 11,000 retail stores over the last 30+ years to ultimately identify 12 successful, evidence-based strategies for getting women in management positions. The strategies fall into three areas:
- Leadership commitment and accountability to foster an inclusive culture that enables all women to advance
- Company policies and practices that advance gender equity
- Career and development opportunities that help develop and promote women
More on the report:
• 12 Ways to Help Women in Retail Advance into Management
Age Diversity in the Workplace
A recent nationwide poll by The Associated Press and NORC at the University of Chicago (AP-NORC) explores the public’s view on age diversity in the workplace given the trend toward delayed retirement (relative to the traditional retirement age of 65). The 2019 Working Longer study is the latest in a series of annual reports by AP-NORC that began in 2013. One of the major findings of this year’s survey of Americans age 18 and older was that 50% of respondents said their age puts them at a disadvantage when looking for work, including 75% of respondents 50 or older. Fifty-one percent of respondents also said that, despite federal laws barring employment discrimination on the basis of age, older workers frequently face it, while 21% say younger workers experience age discrimination. Researchers involved in the study also believe that women experience age-based discrimination earlier and more severely.
More on the report:
• Older Americans more likely to cite workplace discrimination
Affordable Care Act (ACA) Medicaid Expansion Impact on Racial Disparities in Time to Cancer Treatment
Earlier this month, researchers released the findings of a racial-disparity study linking the expansion of Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act with a reduction in racial disparities in the care of cancer patients. Before the ACA went into effect, African Americans with advanced cancer were 4.8% less likely to begin treatment within 30 days of diagnosis. Today, black adults in the states that expanded Medicaid under the ACA have almost entirely caught up with white patients in getting timely treatment. Health policy experts not involved in studies have said that the findings are consistent with previous data associating the ACA with improved access to health insurance and care.
More on the report:
• ACA linked to reduced racial disparities, earlier diagnosis and treatment in cancer care
2020 Census Who’s At Risk of Being Miscounted?
The U.S. Census affects congressional seats and funding decisions at every level of government. According to a new Urban Institute study, the 2020 version of the decennial count of persons in the U.S. “faces unprecedented challenges and threats to its accuracy.” Arguably the highest profile of challenges that could result in a serious miscount is a controversial question about citizenship. But some other issues that have garnered less buzz—underfunding and undertested process changes—could also have a drastic impact on a potential for miscount. The Urban Institute has created projections for miscount risk levels, broken down by state and demographic groups.
More on the study:
• 2020 Census Could Lead To Worst Undercount Of Black, Latinx People In 30 Years
• Where a citizenship question could cause the census to miss millions of Hispanics — and why that’s a big deal
Impact of Five Charitable Giving Policy Proposals
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 reduced the number of taxpayers who itemize. Giving could suffer as a result, with millions fewer households donating and billions less dollars going to charities each year through 2025. Earlier this month, we released new analysis conducted by Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy and the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. The research projects, not only the impact of on giving over the next few years under current tax law, but also the impact of five federal policy proposals designed to incentivize charitable giving among non-itemizers.
More on the analysis:
• Tax Law Could Reduce Giving by $19 Billion Annually, Study Finds
• Tax Law Could Slash Giving by $19 Billion a Year, Report Says
• Tax Overhaul Could Mean $19 Billion Less in Donations Each Year: Study
Self-reported Physical Health of Women Who Did and Did Not Terminate Pregnancy After Seeking Abortion Services: A Cohort Study
Though existing research has demonstrated that having an abortion is much safer than childbirth in the short-term by measures of morbidity and mortality, little research has examined long-term physical health in women with unwanted pregnancies after abortion versus childbirth. New research released this week in the Annals of Internal Medicine looks at the long-term outlook. One finding was that women who were denied abortions were more likely than those who had them to report chronic diseases, persistent pain, and poor overall health five years later. Moreover, about 20% of women who had an abortion during any trimester reported fair or poor health five years later compared to 27% of those who’d given birth.
More on the research:
• Women Who Are Denied Abortions May Face Long-Lasting Health Problems, Study Says
Add Your Voice
The research summaries above are by no means an exhaustive list of the newest information out there to help us better understand the nonprofit landscape. So if we missed a report you think we should know and share about, let us know by leaving a comment!
