Closing the Gender Gap

This study analyzed the current state of the gender literacy gap and the change in the gender literacy gap between 1992 and 2003, using the 1992 National Adult Literacy Survey (NALS) and the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL). The results revealed that although there were significant gender literacy gaps in 1992, virtually all male-paramount literacy gaps (males obtaining higher scores than females) disappeared in the 2003 survey. Much of this gain can be ascribed to more women participating in higher education. Variations in literacy gap changes by race (Black and White) and educational attainment were also investigated.

Produtividade, desenvolvimento econômico e alfabetização funcional: alguns resultados

Este trabalho apresenta algumas implicações das deficiências de habilidades de alfabetização funcional para a produtividade de um país e, conseqüentemente, para seu desenvolvimento econômico e social. Destaca, em primeiro lugar, o conceito de alfabetização funcional, discorrendo sobre os principais levantamentos no exterior, nomeadamente o Young Adult Literacy Survey (Yals) e o National Adult Literacy Survey (Nals), ambos dos Estados Unidos, e o International Adult Literacy Survey (Ials), envolvendo 20 países. Discorre sobre as principais informações existentes no Brasil e aponta, em seguida, a importância destacada da alfabetização funcional, de forma independente da educação formal. Finalmente, com o auxílio de dados internacionais, mostra a influência da alfabetização funcional nos salários, na situação de emprego, na taxa de desemprego e nas oportunidades de treinamento contínuo. Nas conclusões, são sugeridas, brevemente, algumas estratégias e políticas para combater o problema tanto em nível público quanto privado.

Cognitive Skill and Economic Inequality: Findings from the National Adult Literacy Survey

Few would deny that the civil rights and women's movements have substantially changed U.S. society. Yet ethnic and gender inequality in employment and earnings remain large. Even when comparisons are confined to persons of similar educational attainment, African Americans and Hispanic Americans earn less than European Americans, women earn less than men, and African Americans suffer a substantially elevated risk of unemployment. One prominent explanation for ethnic differences in earnings and employment is that, holding constant access to schooling, differences in economic outcomes reflect differences in cognitive skills that have become decisive in the modern labor market. A prominent explanation for the gender gap emphasizes gender differences in occupational preference, with women choosing occupations that are lower paying. Based on an intensive analysis of data from the U.S. National Adult Literacy Survey, the authors find that these two explanations are only partly successful in illuminating ethnic and gender inequality in employment and earnings. Alternative explanations emphasizing labor market discrimination and residential segregation cannot be ignored. In this article, Stephen Raudenbush and Rafa Kasim consider the implications of this new evidence for current debates about affirmative action and educational reform.