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  • Technology Assessment: Internet of Things, Status and Implications of an Increasingly Connected World

    What GAO* Found

    The Internet of Things (IoT) refers to the technologies and devices that sense information and communicate it to the Internet or other networks and, in some cases, act on that information. These “smart” devices are increasingly being used to communicate and process quantities and types of information that have never been captured before and respond automatically to improve industrial processes, public services, and the well-being of individual consumers. For example, a “connected” fitness tracker can monitor a user’s vital statistics, and store the information on a smartphone. A “smart” tractor can use GPS-based driving guidance to maximize crop planting or harvesting.

    Electronic processors and sensors have become smaller and less costly, which makes it easier to equip devices with IoT capabilities. This is fueling the global proliferation of connected devices, allowing new technologies to be embedded in millions of everyday products. The IoT’s rapid emergence brings the promise of important new benefits, but also presents potential challenges such as the following:

      • Information security. The IoT brings the risks inherent in potentially unsecured information technology systems into homes, factories, and communities. IoT devices, networks, or the cloud servers where they store data can be compromised in a cyberattack. For example, in 2016, hundreds of thousands of weakly-secured IoT devices were accessed and hacked, disrupting traffic on the Internet.

     

      • Privacy. Smart devices that monitor public spaces may collect information about individuals without their knowledge or consent. For example, fitness trackers link the data they collect to online user accounts, which generally include personally identifiable information, such as names, email addresses, and dates of birth. Such information could be used in ways that the consumer did not anticipate. For example, that data could be sold to companies to target consumers with advertising or to determine insurance rates.

     

      • Safety. Researchers have demonstrated that IoT devices such as connected automobiles and medical devices can be hacked, potentially endangering the health and safety of their owners. For example, in 2015, hackers gained remote access to a car through its connected entertainment system and were able to cut the brakes and disable the transmission.

     

      • Standards. IoT devices and systems must be able to communicate easily. Technical standards to enable this communication will need to be developed and implemented effectively. 

     

    • Economic issues. While impacts such as positive growth for industries that can use the IoT to reduce costs and provide better services to customers are likely, economic disruptions are also possible, such as reducing the need for certain types of businesses and jobs that rely on individual interventions, including assembly line work or commercial vehicle deliveries.

    Why GAO Did This Study

    The rapid, global proliferation of IoT devices has generated significant interest. In light of the current and potential effects of the IoT on consumers, businesses, and policymakers, GAO was asked to conduct a technology assessment of the IoT.

    This report provides an introduction to the IoT and describes what is known about current and emerging IoT technologies, and the implications of their use.

    To conduct this assessment, GAO reviewed key reports and scientific literature; convened two expert meetings with the assistance of the National Academies; and interviewed officials from two agencies to obtain their views on specific implications of the IoT.

    Ten federal agencies and twelve experts reviewed the draft report and some provided technical comments, which were incorporated as appropriate.

    *The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) is an independent, nonpartisan agency that works for Congress. Often called the “congressional watchdog,” GAO investigates how the federal government spends taxpayer dollars. The head of GAO, the Comptroller General of the United States, is appointed to a 15-year term by the President from a slate of candidates Congress proposes. Gene L. Dodaro became the eighth Comptroller General of the United States and head of the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) on December 22, 2010, when he was confirmed by the United States Senate. He was nominated by President Obama in September of 2010 from a list of candidates selected by a bipartisan, bicameral congressional commission. He had been serving as Acting Comptroller General since March of 2008.

  • DOD Health: Actions Needed to Ensure Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury Are Considered in Misconduct Separations

    First Anglo=Afghan War 1839-1842

     

    Encampment of the Kandahar Army, under General Nott: This lithograph was taken from plate 5 of ‘Afghaunistan’ by Lieutenant James Rattray, between 1839 – 1842. He wrote of this scene: “After a march of 210 miles through the most desolate and terrific mountain passes in the world, the view … bursts suddenly on the delighted eyes of the fastness-wearied soldier.”

    What GAO* Found

    GAO’s analysis of Department of Defense (DOD) data show that 62 percent, or 57,141 of the 91,764 servicemembers separated for misconduct from fiscal years 2011 through 2015 had been diagnosed within the 2 years prior to separation with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury (TBI), or certain other conditions that could be associated with misconduct. Specifically, 16 percent had been diagnosed with PTSD or TBI, while the other conditions, such as adjustment and alcohol-related disorders, were more common. Of the 57,141 servicemembers, 23 percent, or 13,283, received an “other than honorable” characterization of service, making them potentially ineligible for health benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

    GAO found that the military services’ policies to address the impact of PTSD and TBI on separations for misconduct are not always consistent with DOD policy. For example, contrary to DOD policy, Navy policy does not require a medical examination—or screening—for certain servicemembers being separated in lieu of trial by court-martial to assess whether a PTSD or TBI diagnosis is a mitigating factor in the misconduct charged. This type of separation occurs when a servicemember facing a trial by court-martial requests, and is approved, to be discharged administratively.

    In addition, GAO found that two of the four military services have TBI training polices that are inconsistent with DOD policy. GAO also found that the Army and Marine Corps may not have adhered to their own screening, training, and counseling policies related to PTSD and TBI. For example, GAO found that 18 of the 48 nongeneralizable sample separation packets reviewed for Marine Corps servicemembers administratively separated for misconduct lacked documentation showing that the servicemember had been screened for PTSD and TBI. During interviews with Army officers, GAO found that some officers may not have received training to identify mild TBI symptoms, despite Army policy that all servicemembers should be trained. Further, GAO found instances in which both Army and Marine Corps may not have adhered to their counseling policies, which require that servicemembers, specifically prior to requesting separation in lieu of trial by court-martial, be counseled about their potential ineligibility for VA benefits and services. For 11 of the 48 separation packets included in GAO’s analysis of Army servicemembers who requested separation in lieu of trial by court-martial, there was no documented evidence — or the evidence was unclear — as to whether the servicemembers received counseling.

    Finally, while Army and Marine Corps have some available data on servicemembers’ screenings, training, and counseling, the military services do not use these data to routinely monitor whether they are adhering to relevant policies. Federal internal control standards call for agencies to establish monitoring activities to ensure internal control systems and evaluate results. Without monitoring adherence to these policies, the military services cannot provide assurance that servicemembers with PTSD and TBI are receiving adequate consideration of their conditions as well as the services DOD has established for them.

    Why GAO Did This Study

    The Carl Levin and Howard P. “Buck” McKeon National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015 contains a provision that GAO examine the effect of PTSD, TBI, and certain other conditions on separations for misconduct. This report examines (1) the number of servicemembers separated for misconduct who were diagnosed with PTSD, TBI, or certain other conditions and were potentially ineligible for VA benefits and services; (2) the extent to which military services’ policies to address the impact of PTSD and TBI on separations for misconduct are consistent with DOD’s policies; (3) the extent to which Army and Marine Corps have adhered to their policies; and (4) the extent to which DOD, Army, and Marine Corps monitor adherence to the policies. GAO analyzed DOD data; reviewed applicable policies; interviewed DOD, Army, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Navy officials; visited two Army and one Marine Corps sites selected on factors such as separation rates; and reviewed a nongeneralizable sample of Army and Marine Corps servicemember misconduct separation documents.

    What GAO Recommends

    GAO is making five recommendations, including that DOD direct the Air Force and Navy to address inconsistencies in their screening and training policies and ensure that the military services monitor adherence to their screening, training, and counseling policies. DOD agreed with four of GAO’s recommendations, but did not agree to address inconsistencies in training policies. GAO maintains inconsistencies should be addressed, as discussed in the report.

    *

    About GAO

    About GAO

    Brochure (PDF) available in:

    –English  –French
    –Spanish –Arabic

    Contact GAO

    Agency-Wide
    Government Accountability Office
    441 G St, NW
    Washington, DC 20548
    contact@gao.gov
    (202) 512-3000

    Public Affairs
    Chuck Young
    youngc1@gao.gov
    (202) 512-4800

    Congressional Relations
    Katherine Siggerud
    congrel@gao.gov
    (202) 512-4400

    The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) is an independent, nonpartisan agency that works for Congress. Often called the “congressional watchdog,” GAO investigates how the federal government spends taxpayer dollars. The head of GAO, the Comptroller General of the United States, is appointed to a 15-year term by the President from a slate of candidates Congress proposes. Gene L. Dodaro became the eighth Comptroller General of the United States and head of the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) on December 22, 2010, when he was confirmed by the United States Senate. He was nominated by President Obama in September of 2010 from a list of candidates selected by a bipartisan, bicameral congressional commission. He had been serving as Acting Comptroller General since March of 2008.
    Full Biography
    More on the CG Selection Process

  • Mother’s Day and Mother Earth On Display At Green Festival In the Nation’s Capital

    by Jo FreemanMOM's Organic Market

    Mother Earth was celebrated over the Mother’s Day weekend at the DC Green Festival, one of five held around the country during the year. This year health and body products dominated among a wide variety of commercial and educational booths.

    MOM’s (Organic Market) was passing out food (bananas and chips) as you entered the hall. That’s what Mom’s do, though on Mother’s Day they expect a little something back. Over two days MOM’s gave out a thousand pounds of bananas, but was still working its way through 225 cases of 1 oz bags of Route 11 Potato Chips when Greenfest ended.

    It wasn’t a free event (except for cyclists who got in free by showing their helmet), though there were all sorts of freebies. Quorn foods were passing out a non-chicken salad made from mycoprotein that looked, felt and tasted like the real thing. You could sample half a dozen different GoMacro bars or Lundberg Family Farms rice and quinoa crackers.

    Kia Motors (South Korea’s second largest car company) was letting attendees test-drive three electric models. I tried out the Soul EV. Nice car, but it felt really weird to be driving a car and hear no noise.

    Pain relief was a big thing. Pisauna uses near infrared heaters to achieve “total detoxification” after sitting in a red cedar box soaking up the heat. Felt wonderful. Not only were there many booths selling devices and services to relieve pain, but foods and herbs as well.

    In addition to the booths, one area was devoted to yoga. It was an almost continual class, though the theme changed as did the instructors and the level of difficulty. Another was for musical performers. A third featured speakers. Food, health and the environment were the general themes, but politics and policy were not far behind.Jill Stein

    Featured was Jill Stein, who ran for President as the Green Party candidate in 2016 and 2012. She said that in the last week she has been denounced by both Kellyanne Conway and Rachel Maddow, which must mean she was doing something right.

    Greenfestivals will be going to NYC next, followed by LA, SF, and Fort Lauderdale, FL this year.

    Catch it where you can.

    ©2017 Jo Freeman for SeniorWomen.com

  • Suspense, Motives, Reactions, and Emotions: How Do Authors Do It?

    by Joan L. Cannon

    Trying to make a dent in a reader’s resistance is like trying to freeze the ripples on the water’s surface after you’ve tossed a stone. Yet that’s what most writers are trying to do whether we realize it or not. There are a few mentors who have taught that lesson. I remember with awe those who made an effort to encourage such an ambition.

    The art of the written word seems to be most capable of making that kind of ephemeral impression. One reason is that imaginative writing makes the closest approach to painless learning possible for most of us. When it’s effective enough, the impression made won’t disappear in the flood of experience.

    Jesse Stuart wrote a book about his youthful adventures as a teacher in an Appalachian one-room schoolhouse. The “thread that runs so true” of the title tells how he discovered that games in teaching can point to how to play the game of Life with a capital L. Children of all ages (into old age) learn with fun.Joyce Carol Oates book, Blonde

    I attended a writer’s conference where the keynote speaker was Joyce Carol Oates. She was already a celebrity in the literary world, and the attendees were virtually holding our breaths to hear her. She said, “All art begins in play.”

    Read the rest of Joan Cannon’s Article

  • Ten Ways That the House American Health Care Act Could Affect Women

    Kaiser Family Foundation’s story:

    May 08, 2017 | Usha Ranji, Alina Salganicoff , Laurie Sobel, and Caroline Rosenzweig

    10 Ways That Repealing and Replacing the ACA Could Affect Women
    1. Medicaid Eligibility
    2. Capping Federal Medicaid Spending
    3. Medicaid and Planned Parenthood
    4. Abortion Coverage
    5. Tax Credits, Premium and Cost-Sharing Subsidies
    6. Insurance Reforms
    7. Essential Health Benefits
    8. Preventive Services
    9. Contraceptive Coverage
    10. Pregnancy-Related Care

    Women have much at stake as the nation debates the future of coverage in the United States. Because the Affordable Care Act (ACA) made fundamental changes to women’s health coverage and benefits, changes to the law and the regulations that stem from it would have a direct impact on millions of women with private insurance and Medicaid. On May 4, 2017, the House of Representatives passed the American Health Care Act (AHCA), to repeal and replace elements of the ACA (Appendix Table 1). It would eliminate individual and employer insurance mandates, effectively end the ACA Medicaid expansion, cap federal funds for the Medicaid program, make major changes to the federal tax subsidies available to assist individuals who purchase private insurance, and ban federal Medicaid funds from going to Planned Parenthood. It would also allow states to waive the ACA’s Essential Health Benefits requirements and permit health status as a factor in insurance rating for individuals who do not maintain continuous coverage with the goal of reducing insurance costs.1 The Senate will now take up legislation to repeal and replace the ACA and may consider several elements that the House has approved in the AHCA. This brief reviews the implications of the AHCA for women’s access to care and coverage.

    ACA’s Impact on Coverage and Access for Women

    Since the ACA’s passage, the uninsured rate has declined to record low levels. Between 2013 and 2015, the uninsured rate among women ages 19 to 64 fell from 17% to 11% (Figure 1). This drop was due in large part to the Medicaid expansion that was adopted by 31 states and DC, and the availability of federal tax credits to subsidize premium costs for many low and modest-income women and men. In addition to coverage improvements, fewer women face affordability barriers since the ACA was enacted. Women have consistently been more likely than men to report that they delay or go without needed care because of costs. The ACA addressed some of these financial barriers by providing subsidies for premiums and cost sharing, eliminating out of pocket costs for preventive services, lifting the lifetime limits on expenses insurance will cover, and requiring minimum levels of coverage for ten Essential Health Benefit categories. Since its passage, the share of women who report that they delayed or went without care due to costs has fallen (Figure 2). This drop has been particularly marked among low-income women, although costs continue to be a greater challenge for this group as well.

    Figure 1: The Uninsured Rate Fell Among all Groups of Women between 2013 and 2015

    Figure 2: The Share of Women Who Delayed or Did Not Get Care Due to Cost Is Falling

    1. MEDICAID ELIGIBILITY: EXPANSION AND WORK REQUIREMENTS

    Medicaid has been the foundation of coverage gains under the ACA. Eliminating federal funds for the ACA’s Medicaid expansion could leave many of the nation’s poorest women without a pathway to coverage.

    Women comprise the majority of Medicaid beneficiaries—before the passage of the ACA and today. Prior to the ACA, compared to men, women were more likely to qualify for Medicaid because of their lower incomes and because they were more likely to meet one of the program’s eligibility categories: pregnancy, parent of a dependent child, over 65, or disability. The ACA eliminates the program’s “categorical” requirements, allowing states to extend Medicaid eligibility to all individuals based solely on income. In the 31 states and DC that have chosen to expand Medicaid, individuals with household incomes up to 138% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) qualify, and the federal government finances 95% of the costs.2

    It is estimated that by 2015, 11 million adults had gained coverage as a result of the ACA’s Medicaid expansion. This opened the door for continuous coverage to pregnant women who often became ineligible for coverage 60 days after the birth of their baby and had no other pathway to coverage as new mothers. The Medicaid expansion has also helped women who do not have children gain access to coverage, since before the expansion they were ineligible for coverage in most states. If passed, the AHCA bill would withdraw the enhanced federal funds for the Medicaid expansion except for beneficiaries enrolled as of December 31, 2019 who do not have a break in eligibility for more than 1 month. This loss of federal financing would leave states without the funds needed to continue supporting this expansion, potentially forcing some states to roll back eligibility for parents to the very low levels that were in place before the ACA (Figure 3). For example, a single mother of two living in Louisiana or Indiana would not have qualified for Medicaid if her income exceeded $4,687. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that, under the House AHCA bill, some states that have already expanded their Medicaid programs would not continue that coverage (some states might also begin to reduce coverage prior to 2020), and that no new states will adopt the expansion.

  • Congressional Bills Introduced, Resolutions and Investigations: Did You Know that May 5 Was the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Native Women and Girls?

    On May 4, Congress passed H.R. 244, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2017, which provides funding through September 30, the end of FY2017. 
    Susan Davis, Congresswoman

    Susan Davis, right, member of the US House of Representatives from California’s 53rd district; Wikipedia

    This Week: 

    The Senate is in session this week. The House is in recess until May 16; House Passes ‘Obamacare’ Repeal Bill. On May 4, the House approved H.R. 1628, the American Health Care Act (AHCA). On May 2, the House approved H.R. 1180, the Working Families Flexibility Act. 

    Senate Raises Awareness of Violence Against Native Women: On May 3, the Senate approved, by unanimous consent, S. Res. 60, a resolution designating May 5, 2017, as the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Native Women and Girls. Sponsored by Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT), the legislation notes that homicide is a leading cause of death among American Indian and Alaska Native women and that little data exist on the number of missing American Indian and Alaska Native women in the United States. Among other provisions, the resolution would “commemorate the lives of missing and murdered American Indian and Alaska Native women whose cases are documented and undocumented in public records and the media.”

    On May 3, the House Foreign Affairs Committee approved en bloc, by voice vote, H.R. 1625, the Targeted Rewards for the Global Eradication of Human Trafficking (TARGET) Act, and H.R. 2200, the Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Reauthorization Act, as amended. Sponsored by Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA), the TARGET Act would authorize the State Department’s rewards program to target transnational organized crime rings that engage in severe forms of human trafficking.

    The legislation would reauthorize the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (P.L. 106-386) through 2021. Among other provisions, the measure would reauthorize several programs to support victims of, and individuals vulnerable to, human trafficking. It also would bolster federal efforts to prevent human trafficking: the bill would ensure that US procurement does not fund human trafficking; training to recognize human trafficking among certain air carriers would be required. The bill is sponsored by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ).

    On May 2, the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations held a hearing, “Winning the Fight Against Human Trafficking: The Frederick Douglass Reauthorization Act.” The hearing focused on efforts to combat human trafficking, specifically H.R. 2200, the Frederick Douglass Reauthorization Act of 2017. The Foreign Affairs Committee approved H.R. 2200 on May 3.

    The hearing also emphasized the importance of increasing efforts to prevent girls in the foster care system from becoming victims of sex trafficking. According to the hearing, 60 percent of child victims of human trafficking have been in the foster care system.

    The following witness testified: Robert Benz, co-founder and executive vice president, Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives; Jo Becker, advocacy director, children’s rights division, Human Rights Watch; Tim Gehring, policy and research manager, International Justice Mission; Melysa Sperber, director, Alliance to End Slavery and Trafficking; and Malika Saada Saar, human rights lawyer, co-founder and former executive director, Human Rights Project for Girl(s).

  • Senate Subcommittee Hearing on Crime and Terrorism: Sally Yates and James Clapper, Testifying

    WitnessesSally Yates

    1. The Honorable Sally Q. Yates*, Former Acting Attorney General of the United States, Atlanta , GA
    2. The Honorable James R. Clapper,  Former Director of National Intelligence of the United  States, Fairfax , VA

    Committee on the Judiciary; Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism

    Date: Monday, May 8, 2017
    Time: 02:30 PM
    Location: Hart Senate Office Building 216
    Presiding: Chairman Graham
    Status: LOCATION CHANGE

     

    A video of the hearing will be available  once the hearing begins.

    Who is Sally Yates? Meet the acting attorney general Trump fired for ‘betraying’ the Justice Department; article by The Washington Post: 

    “Acting attorney general Sally Quillian Yates, a longtime prosecutor from Atlanta, began her tenure as an Obama appointee two years ago by saying that pursuing justice was more important to her than bringing federal cases in court.

    ” ‘We’re not the Department of Prosecutions or even the Department of Public Safety,’ ” Yates said in May 2015, the week after she was confirmed as deputy attorney general, the second-highest-ranking position in the Justice Department. ‘We are the Department of Justice.’ “

    “On Monday afternoon, only days away from stepping down from her 27-year career in the Justice Department, Yates defied President Trump, ordering federal attorneys not to defend the controversial immigration order issued Friday.

    “Within hours, Trump fired her. In a news release, the White House said Yates had ‘betrayed the Department of Justice by refusing to enforce a legal order designed to protect the citizens of the United States.’ Yates was replaced by Dana Boente, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, who told The Washington Post he would enforce the president’s directive until Trump nominee Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) is confirmed.”

    [Read the White House statement on Sally Yates]

    *Yates was born in Atlanta to J. Kelley Quillian, an attorney and judge who served as a judge on the Georgia Court of Appeals between 1966 and 1984, and Xara Terrell Quillian. Her grandmother had been one of the first women admitted to the Georgia Bar, however, she was not hired as an attorney, instead working as a legal secretary for Yates’s grandfather.

    She attended the University of Georgia, receiving her Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism in 1982. In 1986, she earned a law degree from the University of Georgia School of Law, graduating magna cum laude. While in law school, Yates served as the executive editor of the Georgia Law Review. (From Wikipedia) 

     

  • Janet Yellen at Brown University: So We All Can Succeed; 125 Years of Women’s Participation in the Economy

     Women at Brown

    Chair Janet L. Yellen At “125 Years of Women at Brown Conference,” sponsored by Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island  

    Thank you, and let me say what an honor it is, as an alumna of this great university, to be here today and part of this important occasion.

    As we celebrate the 125th anniversary of women being admitted to Brown, it seems appropriate to reflect on the progress that women have achieved in the intervening years. Since 1891, women have made tremendous strides in their ability to pursue their dreams of education and meaningful work and to support themselves and their families. In pursuing these goals, women have helped improve working conditions for all workers and have been a major factor in America’s prosperity over the past century and a quarter.

    Despite this progress, evidence suggests that many women remain unable to achieve their goals. The gap in earnings between women and men, although smaller than it was years ago, is still significant; women continue to be underrepresented in certain industries and occupations; and too many women struggle to combine aspirations for work and family. Further advancement has been hampered by barriers to equal opportunity and workplace rules and norms that fail to support a reasonable work-life balance. If these obstacles persist, we will squander the potential of many of our citizens and incur a substantial loss to the productive capacity of our economy at a time when the aging of the population and weak productivity growth are already weighing on economic growth.

    To enliven the history I will present today, I will include the experiences of women graduates of this institution, in most cases in their own words, as related in oral histories preserved by Brown.1Among these alumnae, I am proud to say, is a member of my own family who was an early graduate of Pembroke, Elizabeth Stafford Hirschfelder of the Class of 1923. Her career and achievements as a mathematician embody both the opportunities that opened for Pembroke graduates in the decades after she left here and the limitations many women faced and the compromises she, like so many others, was forced to make.

    A Historical Perspective on Women in the Labor Force
    From the time that Brown began to accept women and into the 1920s, most women in the United States did not work outside the home, and those who did were primarily young and unmarried. In that era, just 20 percent of all women were “gainful workers,” as the Census Bureau then categorized labor force participation outside the home, and only 5 percent of those married were categorized as such.2 Of course, these statistics somewhat understate the contributions of married women to the economy beyond housekeeping and childrearing, since women’s work in the home often included work in family businesses and the home production of goods, such as agricultural products, for sale. Also, the aggregate statistics obscure the differential experience of women by race. African American women were about twice as likely to participate in the labor force as were white women at the time, largely because they were more likely to remain in the labor force after marriage.3

    What was true for women in general was also true of the early graduates of what was then called the Women’s College, the large majority of whom got married, raised families, and did not pursue careers. The fact that many women left work upon marriage reflected cultural norms, the nature of the work available to them, and legal strictures. The occupational choices of those young women who did work were severely circumscribed. Most women lacked significant education‑‑only 54 percent of girls aged 5 to 19 were enrolled in school in 1890.4 And women with little education mostly toiled as piece workers in factories or as domestic workers, jobs that were dirty and often unsafe. Educated women, like those who attended Brown’s Women’s College, were scarce. Fewer than 2 percent of all 18- to 24-year-olds were enrolled in an institution of higher education, and just one-third of those were women.5 Such women did not have to perform manual labor, but their choices were likewise constrained. Edna McDonald was a graduate of the Class of 1919, and in her oral history, she summed up the opportunities for her and her classmates: “Let’s be frank,” she said. “What choices did women have? Teaching. You could teach. You could be a lab technician. Or you could go into office work and be a secretary. Those were the only real choices.” Margery Chittenden Leonard graduated from Pembroke in 1929 and went on to earn a J.D. as the only woman in her class at Boston University–after two others withdrew. And with that law degree, her first job was as a secretary, and she continued to struggle to find work as a lawyer. In her oral history, Doris Madeline Hopkins, a 1928 graduate, talked about the opportunity that she had to work, but also about being told she had to leave her job once she got married. Indeed, at the time, marriage bars were widespread.6

  • Shakespeare and Sexting: Reconsidering Penalties for Teen Sexual Activity

    By Rebecca Beitsch, Stateline, Pew Trusts*Romeo and Juliet

    Their story mostly has a happy ending. They reunited when Russell got out of prison. They’re married now, with four kids, and living in Glasgow, Montana. And last month, Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, a Democrat, granted Russell clemency. But there have been struggles, too. Russell’s record has made it hard for him to find work, and being a registered sex offender has limited where the family can live.

    Wikimedia Commons image of Romeo and Juliet

    Hoping to spare other young couples severe consequences like those, the Fosters pushed for a bill the Montana Legislature passed last month that would reduce the penalties for teens caught engaging in consensual sexual activity. The measure also would expand the age range covered by the state’s existing Romeo and Juliet law. Named for Shakespeare’s young lovers, the laws vary from state to state but typically provide legal protections or reduced penalties for teens close in age who engage in sexual activity.

    Other states also are considering reducing the penalties for teens convicted of crimes associated with sexual activity. Last year, Kansas enacted a law that gives prosecutors the option of charging minors with a misdemeanor, rather than a felony, for exchanging lewd photos in text messages. Connecticut is considering a similar bill this year, and the New York Legislature is considering a bill that would give teens a pass for consensual sexting. And Nevada is considering a bill that would give judges discretion over whether children convicted of sex crimes need to register as a sex offender. 

    Tough penalties for teens convicted of illegal sexual behavior were often written into statute over the past 20 years as part of broader efforts by state legislatures to protect children from predators, following federal laws that called for better tracking of sexual offenders.

    But more recently, steep penalties for sexual contact between teens have made some prosecutors reluctant to bring charges, said Tom Raynes, executive director of the Colorado District Attorneys’ Council.

    In Cañon City, Colorado, prosecutors in 2015 declined to charge about a hundred middle and high school students who were using their cellphones to exchange nude images of one another. The state currently only has one charge at its disposal to address such cases: sexual exploitation of a minor, a felony that requires sex offender registration.

    *The Pew Charitable Trusts is driven by the power of knowledge to solve today’s most challenging problems. Pew applies a rigorous, analytical approach to improve public policy, inform the public and invigorate civic life.

  • Elaine Soloway’s Rookie Widow Series: Leaving Home, My Magic Act and The Gold Line to South Pasadena

    The voice was familiar, but I was having trouble placing it. In past conversations that occurred in my head, the participants were deceased but still chatty. There were talks with my husband, Tommy, and with my parents, Min and Irv.  While all of these episodes were tinged with the sadness of loss, I relished my brain’s ability to bring these characters back to life, even if briefly.

    I was narrowing in on identifying my imagination’s latest speaker: it was a woman’s voice, young, and definitely not coming from the afterlife. When she continued talking, I felt as happy as if I were welcoming home a long-lost relative.airplane

    “I know that emotion you’re feeling,” she said. “It was the same one we experienced in other parts of our lives. Think back.”

    She was my 25-year-old self who had evidently decided to reappear at a critical juncture in my journey.

    How odd that a youngster like that felt it necessary to counsel the 76-year-old she had become. But, I was delighted to see her. I took a moment to bring her full force into my vision: her brunette hair, her pretty green eyes covered by dark-framed glasses, her sweetheart-shaped face, and her welcoming smile.

    I patted the empty side of my bed, inviting young Elaine to take a comfy place next to me. She slid in and I sighed as I took note of the extra inches of height awarded to the younger me. “What brings you here?” I said.

    “Well, I could see you struggling with your decision to leave Chicago for Los Angeles. I watched you tossing each night, and wrestling with second thoughts. It was painful for me to witness that, so I thought it wise to reappear and help you out.”

    “It’s not really second thoughts,” I told this cutie pie sharing my bed. “I know I want to be closer to my daughters, and it’s important to do it now, when I’m untethered and in good health. But after I enjoyed lunches and dinners with close friends, I felt sad, and wondered how I’d get along without these people in my day-to-day life.”

    “Yeah, I saw that,” she said, “and I felt your sadness. You may not remember, but you’ve experienced the same emotion several times over the years. It’s called ‘separation anxiety.’”

    “Hmm,” I said, “that’s interesting. I thought it was the separation from my daughters that was pulling me towards the West Coast. Now you’re telling me the same feeling is tugging me back?”