JohnnySwims

  The COVID-19 pandemic established new norms for American society, particularly related to the way that work and the economy became structured. The stereotypical division of stay-at-home moms and working dads seems to have shifted, remote work threatens to usher in the age of the stay-at-home dad. The lockdowns during COVID forced remote work, and remote work has become particularly attractive for working professionals with kids at home. Over 60% of all people who worked remotely over the pandemic wish to continue working remotely full time, often citing benefits like more time with kids and cost savings. However, the division of people with the option of working from home isn’t equal. Women are more likely to be nurses, teachers, or secretaries, all jobs with a greater demand for in-person work. This has increased the likelihood that men stay at home, taking care of kids and the house, while the women go out for work. Additionally, since remote work can be done from anywher...

There Is No Unmarked Woman, by Deborah Tanner, uncovers a societal double standard about the way that women, in a society largely run by men, are viewed in daily interaction. Every single action taken by women is flagged as an indication of their true personality, unlike the anonymity granted to men in the same settings. When I first read this piece, the point that caught my eye wasn’t exposing subliminal sexism in society, or the upending of the biological pattern, but rather the application of signaling the piece brought up.      Signaling, a concept I’ve discussed on this blog before, is the idea that anytime two people interact, they enter into a contract. In the contract, you’re either the agent (the person trying to sell something) or the principal (the person looking to buy something). Applying this to Tanner’s example in the conference setting, each person entered a contract with the other. Economically speaking, it’s advantageous to “mark” each person, as both ...