Edition 83: new year, new millennial problems
(This newsletter was sent to email subscribers on January 1, 2021.)
Happy New Year, Below the Folders. And welcome to the year 2021. We have a lot of exciting things happening this new year, and can’t wait to share more soon. In the meantime, our new year’s resolution is to expand our knowledge of the world we live in — and we want you to join us! We’re awarding one reader with a one-year subscription to a local paper of their choice. All you have to do is refer a friend to Below the Fold. It’s your final day to enter, so don’t miss out!
EMPLOYMENT
Millennials are turning 40 and could now sue for age discrimination
Tue Dec 29
The oldest millennials are turning 40 this year, and as such, will be protected by the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA). In fact, research already shows that many millennial women have been facing age discrimination.
When it comes to business resumes, responses usually fall with age, but it’s not equal across genders.
- Women start seeing age discrimination in resume response rates starting at age 36 or earlier.
- For men, similar discrimination didn’t occur until their 50s.
- By age 65, both men and women saw a lot fewer responses to their resumes compared to younger peers.
- Researchers also found that Black men and women saw discrimination before the age of 40. This changed by middle age, when Black workers’ resumes were rated higher than White people with the same qualifications, but then it dropped again as they reached 65+.
And this discrimination dates back to 1967, when the ADEA was first created. At that time, men also saw more success than women, with an 8% increase in employment rates versus 4% for women. This data brings up something the ADEA failed to acknowledge: The intersectional discrimination that people face because of gender, race, or age.
Economic crisis often worsens discrimination as well. For example, during the Great Recession, as unemployment rose one percentage point, firing-related ADEA charges went up 3.4% and hiring-related ones increased 1.4%. This discrimination is often caused by harmful stereotypes and unconscious bias, such as assuming a woman in her 40s has children that will make her schedule less flexible or assuming a younger Black person has a criminal history. Now, experts worry coronavirus could be making it worse too.
SOURCES / READ MORE: The Washington Post, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, USA Today
HEALTH
Antibiotic-resistant gonorrhea is on the rise
Mon Dec 28
Coronavirus is not the only disease mutating around the world. The World Health Organization (WHO) is now warning about super gonorrhea as antibiotic-resistant bacteria becomes a bigger issue.
Though there’s nothing “super” about it. Super gonorrhea occurs when the bacteria that causes gonorrhea develops a high level of resistance to antibiotics. Antibiotic-resistant bacterias have been a slow-growing problem for decades, creating a variety of so-called “superbugs.” While superbugs as a whole kill roughly 35,000 Americans a year, the gonorrhea superbug is not usually deadly.
That said, it is easily spread. A gonorrhea carrier often doesn’t show symptoms, however, if left untreated, some complications can occur including:
- Skin rashes
- Joint pain
- Arthritis
- Infertility
- Chronic pelvic pain
- Dangerous, potentially fatal, infant infection
And experts think the pandemic is worsening antibiotic resistance. While Covid-19 is not a bacterial disease, patients are sometimes prescribed antibiotics because:
- Sometimes patients can develop a secondary infection.
- Other times, early research suggests the antibiotic azithromycin, combined with other drugs, could have an antiviral effect — though studies have since shown it hasn’t had a major lifesaving impact.
The pandemic is also creating delays in routine testing and medical care for all sexually transmitted diseases. Within the U.S., STI cases have been increasing, with 2018 being a record number for cases reported. Included in that is gonorrhea, which has been rising for five years. Fortunately, though, newer antibiotics and therapies are being created and scientists are working on developing new vaccines.
SOURCES / READ MORE: Gizmodo, Yahoo!, CDC, Forbes, World Health Organization
MONEY
The complicated border wall saga in Texas
Wed Dec 23
President Trump campaigned on the promise of a border wall, but as his presidency comes to an end, there are a lot of questions about what will be done with the construction project. To make matters more complicated, the Trump administration reportedly gave border wall contracts out in Texas for land it didn’t yet own — and the delays have cost millions of dollars.
In fact, a lot of the construction never even happened. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) awarded a $33 million contract to build the border in a four-mile stretch in Starr County, but they later had to suspend it. The government was losing thousands of dollars a day as contractors were hired, but couldn’t start work because the land titles hadn’t been obtained. While agreements were set for more than $2 billion to build a total of 146 miles, as of December 2020, only about 15 miles had been completed.
This isn’t the first time the government has run into this sort of issue. Private land and flooding concerns have made that area difficult to build on. The Bush and Obama administrations also tried to build board wall fence projects in the area, and were even awarded contracts, before the government officially owned the land. Those efforts died because funding ran out.
Now Biden will inherit the unfinished projects and title disputes, but has said he will stop wall construction and drop all the lawsuits as soon as he’s in office. While stopping the border wall project would save the U.S. an estimated $2.6 billion, it’s currently unclear what will happen with the contracts or land.
SOURCES / READ MORE: The Texas Tribune, The Washington Post, Texas Monthly, ABC 13 News
Be among the first to get this news by subscribing to the Below the Fold newsletter here
That’s all for today. Have a magical new year.✨
