Genderized Workplace Lookism in the U.S. and Abroad

Author(s):  
Cynthia Howard Sims

Lookism is preferential treatment of those considered to be attractive and discrimination against those deemed less physically desirable. Value is attached to certain physical characteristics such as skin tone, height, weight, facial features, and hair color/textures. Two of the phenomena that exist under the umbrella of lookism are colorism and weightism, which are both genderized phenomenon that create social and workplace inequities. There are studies that explore physical appearance discrimination external to and within workplaces in the United States; however, there is little research on the impact of these prejudices on women abroad. Since today's global workforce is composed of women from various countries and cultural backgrounds, and their cultural values impact their career aspirations and career opportunities, organizational and career development professionals must understand the implications of both U.S. and international lookism and utilize strategies to address and prevent the related issues.

Author(s):  
Cynthia Howard Sims

Lookism is preferential treatment of those considered to be attractive and discrimination against those deemed less physically desirable. Value is attached to certain physical characteristics such as skin tone, height, weight, facial features, and hair color/textures. Two of the phenomena that exist under the umbrella of lookism are colorism and weightism, which are both genderized phenomenon that create social and workplace inequities. There are studies that explore physical appearance discrimination external to and within workplaces in the United States; however, there is little research on the impact of these prejudices on women abroad. Since today's global workforce is composed of women from various countries and cultural backgrounds, and their cultural values impact their career aspirations and career opportunities, organizational and career development professionals must understand the implications of both U.S. and international lookism and utilize strategies to address and prevent the related issues.


Author(s):  
Cynthia Sims

Lookism is preferential treatment of those considered to be attractive and discrimination against those deemed less physically desirable. Value is attached to certain physical characteristics such as skin tone, weight, facial features, and hair color. Two of the phenomena that exist under the umbrella of lookism are colorism and weightism, both of which create social and workplace inequities. There are studies that explore physical appearance discrimination external to and within workplaces in the United States, and an emerging body of literature regarding lookism abroad exists. Some of this research focuses on women's experiences with lookism in the workplace. Since today's global workforce is composed of women from various countries and cultural backgrounds, and their cultural values impact their career aspirations and career opportunities, organizational and career development professionals must understand the implications of both U.S. and global lookism and employ strategies to address and prevent the related issues.


2015 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 38-53 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cynthia Sims ◽  
Malar Hirudayaraj

The Problem Colorism is a preference for light skin tones and devaluing of dark skin. It is a genderized phenomenon, mostly affecting women, that creates social and workplace inequities and negatively affects women of color. In India, colorism is a customary practice perpetuated by cultural beliefs and values, social institutions, and the media. Although studies explore colorism among women of color within workplaces in the United States, qualitative research on the impact of colorism on career aspirations and opportunities of women of color abroad appears to be non-existent. The Solution Providing education about the impact of colorism on Indian women to HRD professionals can assist with the empowerment of women and address workplace inequalities based on skin tone. The Stakeholders As today’s global workforce is composed of people of color from various countries, and their cultural values affect their career aspirations and opportunities, human resource development professionals must understand the implications of colorism, particularly in countries where women are less empowered to challenge cultural beliefs and develop skills to address and prevent related workplace issues. The purpose of this article is to discuss how six India-born women experience colorism to increase awareness, fill the gap in the literature, and provide suggestions for engendering Indian women’s career empowerment.


1997 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 117-141 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. A. LEE

This study represents part of a long-term research program to investigate the influence of U.K. accountants on the development of professional accountancy in other parts of the world. It examines the impact of a small group of Scottish chartered accountants who emigrated to the U.S. in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Set against a general theory of emigration, the study's main results reveal the significant involvement of this group in the founding and development of U.S. accountancy. The influence is predominantly with respect to public accountancy and its main institutional organizations. Several of the individuals achieved considerable eminence in U.S. public accountancy.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-19
Author(s):  
Oliver Korn ◽  
Neziha Akalin ◽  
Ruben Gouveia

This article presents a study of cultural differences affecting the acceptance and design preferences of social robots. Based on a survey with 794 participants from Germany and the three Arab countries of Egypt, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia, we discuss how culture influences the preferences for certain attributes. We look at social roles, abilities and appearance, emotional awareness and interactivity of social robots, as well as the attitude toward automation. Preferences were found to differ not only across cultures, but also within countries with similar cultural backgrounds. Our findings also show a nuanced picture of the impact of previously identified culturally variable factors, such as attitudes toward traditions and innovations. While the participants’ perspectives toward traditions and innovations varied, these factors did not fully account for the cultural variations in their perceptions of social robots. In conclusion, we believe that more real-life practices emerging from the situated use of robots should be investigated. Besides focusing on the impact of broader cultural values such as those associated with religion and traditions, future studies should examine how users interact, or avoid interaction, with robots within specific contexts of use.


Author(s):  
David P. Lindstrom

This analysis draws on binational data from an ethnosurvey conducted in Guatemala and in the United States in Providence, Rhode Island, to develop a refinement of the weighting scheme that the Mexican Migration Project (MMP) uses. The alternative weighting procedure distinguishes between temporary and settled migrants by using a question on household location in the Guatemala questionnaire that is not used in the MMP. Demographic characteristics and integration experiences of the most recent U.S. trip are used to assess the composition and representativeness of the U.S. sample. Using a composite index of migrant integration to compare the impact of alternative U.S. sample weights on point estimates, I find that although the U.S. sample is broadly representative across a range of background characteristics, the MMP sample weighting procedure biases estimates of migrant integration downward.


2014 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 60-75
Author(s):  
Tomasz M. Napiórkowski

Abstract The aim of this research is to asses the hypothesis that foreign direct investment (FDI) and international trade have had a positive impact on innovation in one of the most significant economies in the world, the United States (U.S.). To do so, the author used annual data from 1995 to 2010 to build a set of econometric models. In each model, 11 in total) the number of patent applications by U.S. residents is regressed on inward FDI stock, exports and imports of the economy as a collective, and in each of the 10 SITC groups separately. Although the topic of FDI is widely covered in the literature, there are still disagreements when it comes to the impact of foreign direct investment on the host economy [McGrattan, 2011]. To partially address this gap, this research approaches the host economy not only as an aggregate, but also as a sum of its components (i.e., SITC groups), which to the knowledge of this author has not yet been done on the innovation-FDI-trade plane, especially for the U.S. Unfortunately, the study suffers from the lack of available data. For example, the number of patents and other used variables is reported in the aggregate and not for each SITC groups (e.g., trade). As a result, our conclusions regarding exports and imports in a specific SITC category (and the total) impact innovation in the U.S. is reported in the aggregate. General notions found in the literature are first shown and discussed. Second, the dynamics of innovation, trade and inward FDI stock in the U.S. are presented. Third, the main portion of the work, i.e. the econometric study, takes place, leading to several policy applications and conclusions.


Author(s):  
Weiyi Li ◽  

China and the United States share significant differences in social ideology and cultural backgrounds, resulting in many differences in narrative, humanistic expression, communication and target market positioning of films with the similar theme. This essay takes The Captain and Sully as examples. Through analysis and summary, the writer finds that the differences in social ideology and cultural background have an impact on the narrative tactic, target market, the production, and the circulation strategy of films. For example, at the narrative theme level, The Captain is country-centered, while Sully pays more attention to the inner changes of the characters. In terms of production, The Captain pays more attention to the excitement brought to the audience watching the movie, while Sully pays more attention to the movie story itself. In the choice of target market, the target market of The Captain is positioned in China, while Sully positioned in the world. The distinctive choices of plot and theme of the two films reflect the differences in cultures and ideologies of the two countries. The purpose of this essay is to provide film workers with new creative ideas through analysis, and to lead readers to think.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tasha Gross ◽  
Clarita Lefthand-Begay

Abstract BACKGROUND: Tribal communities in the United States (U.S.) have a long history of subjection to unethical and exploitive medical and research practices. Today, many Tribal nations are establishing procedures in order to protect themselves from further harm and to advance culturally informed research practices. These procedures are also meant to ensure that their communities benefit from research conducted within their communities. Informed consent is a key element in protecting human subjects, but it may not be sufficient in the tribal context, as its conception is rooted in Western understandings of protection. Specifically, the informed consent emphasizes the individual, rather than the community as a whole, which is just as important in the context of conducting research with Native communities.METHODS: We conduct a systematic literature review to answer two related questions: How is informed consent being conceived of by U.S. tribes? And how is informed consent being required by U.S. tribes? Our inclusion criteria include articles focusing on informed consent within the U.S. tribal context, written in English in 2010-2020. Articles that did not fit our inclusion criteria were excluded. Two reviewers independently reviewed and coded 30 peer-reviewed articles by using content analysis and, in an iterative process, agreed on emerging codes and themes. RESULTS: A number of themes arise in the selected literature, including the conception of informed consent as a process, its operation at various levels (individual, collective, and government-to-government), possible alternatives to informed consent, and the need for specificity about ownership of samples and data, benefits and/or risks, and the methods and procedures that researchers use in the course of study.CONCLUSIONS: Our key results point to a need for clear and transparent information for prospective research participants and for consent forms and processes to include the collective, as well as the individual. This will better align with the cultural values and political standing of sovereign tribes in the U.S.


2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 218-242 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Gasca Jiménez ◽  
Maira E. Álvarez ◽  
Sylvia Fernández

Abstract This article examines the impact of the anglicizing language policies implemented after the annexation of the U.S. borderlands to the United States on language use by describing the language and translation practices of Spanish-language newspapers published in the U.S. borderlands across different sociohistorical periods from 1808 to 1930. Sixty Hispanic-American newspapers (374 issues) from 1808 to 1980 were selected for analysis. Despite aggressive anglicizing legislation that caused a societal shift of language use from Spanish into English in most borderland states after the annexation, the current study suggests that the newspapers resisted assimilation by adhering to the Spanish language in the creation of original content and in translation.


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