The Search For Other Worlds Extrasolar Planets Essays - Astronomy

The Search For Other Worlds: Extrasolar Planets Earths Beyond Earth: The Search for Other Worlds In early 1990, the first extrasolar planet was detected, surprising everyone by its strangeness. More planets have now been discovered outside our solar system than in it. These planets present many great mysteries to the astronomical world. Extrasolar planets are planets that exist outside our solar system; they are orbiting a star other than our Sun. So far, eighteen have been found, all of them defying well-established theories about planets and how they operate (Winters, 46). As Stephen Maran said, ?The new discoveries remind us that ignorance is not just bliss, it is also a lack of imagination. The newfound planets show us not only that a solar system is not a rare commodity, but that ours may be plain vanilla.? (73) Finding extrasolar planets is both difficult and complicated. The average star, for instance, is one hundred million times brighter than any planet orbiting it (De Grasse Tyson, 87). ?Picking out a planet against the glare of a star is like trying to spot a 100-watt light bulb next to a 100-billion-watt searchlight,? says Michael Lemonick (54). Also, earth-size planets are too small to have any significant effect on their star, so they are almost impossible to detect (De Grasse Tyson, 88). There is, however , a way to find extrasolar planets without using direct sight: the Doppler Effect. When a star has a planet in its gravitational field, it makes the star appear as if it is ?wobbling? by stretching the light waves and slightly changing the star's color (Maran, 75). A second method of finding a planet is to search through a disk of debris surrounding a star, such as Vega. Chances are that a planet will exist there (De Grasse Tyson, 87). Out of the detected planets, only a few have actually been ?seen,? being found by accident by either the Hubble Space Telescope or the Infrared Space Observatory (Lemonick, 53). In short, planets can only be found in a limited number of ways, and under very specific conditions. In general, most extrasolar planets are alike in that they are all very odd compared to what humans are accustomed. For example, most of them orbit around sun-like stars no further than 100 light years from the Sun. Also, they are gas giants, almost all of them being larger than Jupiter, and have temperatures up to 1800 degrees Fahrenheit (Maran, 74). On the other hand, these planets all have very different orbital patterns; some of them have orbits that are extremely close to the star that they orbit, while others have odd elliptical orbits (Naeye, 45). Either way, almost all of these planets differ significantly from the planets in our solar system. Very little specific information is known about most extrasolar planets, but a few have been researched extensively and found to have interesting characteristics. For instance, 51 Pegasi (all planets being named after their host stars) was the first extrasolar planet found, being discovered by Swiss astronomers Mayar and Queloz. This planet is half the mass of Jupiter (seventy-five times more massive than Mercury), and has the least mass of any of the new planets (Maran, 74). Also, it is 5 million miles from its star, but still manages one orbit in only a little more than four days (Flamsteed, 80). 70 Virginis, another odd planet, is six times the mass of Jupiter, has extreme weather conditions, and orbits elliptically (Lemonick, 53). Likewise, 47 Ursae Majoris has fierce hurricanes, and is also larger than Jupiter. The planet with the most elliptical orbit known to man is 16 Cygni B; it travels from 56 million to 250 million miles of its sun. In contrast, 55 Cancri B is an example o f a tight-orbiting planet, circling the sun closer than mercury is to our sun (Maran, 74). In summary, what we know about these planets shows that they are very diverse and strange. Though strangeness may promote curiosity, a major goal in searching for extrasolar planets is to discover one that resembles ours or possibly harbors life. Though strangeness may bring curiosity, the main motive behind finding extrasolar planets is to discover one that resembles ours or possibly harbors life

Usa and Middle East, Heirs to a Millenium of Missteps

Usa and Middle East, Heirs to a Millenium of Missteps The USA and the Middle East experience a relationship today that bears the stamp of a millennium and more of crucial decisions on both sides.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Usa and Middle East, Heirs to a Millenium of Missteps specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More From nearly the first years of contact between people of European descent and the peoples of the Middle East, these decisions have reflected more misunderstanding and self-interest than statesmanship or vision. There are several moments over this span of time that stand out as opportunities: periods in history when relations could have been turned towards tolerance and even cooperation, but were not. Three examples of these are: the medieval push to take control of religiously important sites in what is today Israel, the betrayal of the region at the end of World War I, and more recently, the failure of Arab governments to adopt the best practices of m odern governance. While these are by no means exhaustive, they are exemplary. In the 11th century, the hardline, and an altered attitude of the Seljukian Turks towards Christian pilgrims prompted outrage and ill-organized crusades. However, a glance at a map of the area suggests the great potential advantage to the nations north of the Mediterranean of control over the sea lanes in the Mediterranean and eastward. Trade, at the least, would be easier if European powers controlled this region. This may have been the reason for the increasing emphasis on naval campaigns in the later Crusades (Bridges 10). In this instance, a more tolerant attitude by the Seljukian Muslims towards Christian pilgrims who had moved with relative freedom through the region for a long time would have made a great difference. After all, the Muslim faith had already successfully, albeit violently, taken over as much as two thirds of the European continent (Madden, Hillenbrand and Ryan). However, the behavior of the Europeans was regarded as boorish and ignorant by the Saracens, so there was probably fault on both sides (Madden, Hillenbrand and Ryan). This was a chance for mutual understanding that was thrown away. At the end of World War, after taking advantage of the Arab revolt to topple the Ottoman Empire, the Allies secretly agreed to partition the area. The Balfour agreement, also secret, promised the Jewish people a homeland in Palestine. These baldly self-interested betrayals and subterfuges were the reasons that prompted T.E. Lawrence to work for three years to make the Arab revolt as effective as possible (Lawrence).Advertising Looking for research paper on international relations? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This double-dealing gave the Middle Eastern countries a very good reason to resent the Allies (Lawrence). It also injected a massive and persistent disruptor into the area in the form of the Zionist hom eland (Zakaria, Why do They Hate Us?) . This dishonesty was probably not necessary and fairer dealings could have laid the groundwork for greater cooperation. Over the decades since then, the sponsorship by the USA of Israel has colored all US-Middle Eastern relations. More recently, the increasing interests of the European countries and the United States in regional oil have distorted matters further (Djerejian) (Atiemo). The Middle Eastern countries have not achieved the development of modern governments and what the West regards as desirable liberties and markets. To some degree, this retarding of governmental evolution was enhanced by the use of several countries as proxies for the former USSR (Djerejian) (Ahmadov). Many of the countries of the Middle East have, additionally, cut themselves off from many of the advantages of the Western world, often, according because of a distaste for the values associated with them (Ozdemir) (Christie, Zwarun and Clark) (Woods). It is possible that if the West had not been more honest and less self-interested, these nations might have turned towards Europe rather than to the USSR or to fundamentalism. Thus, the West and the Middle East may have had chances for rapprochement, which have been discarded. As far back as the Middle Ages, and in both the Twentieth and Twenty-first centuries, approaches have been taken that plunged increasing wedges of distrust and distaste between the two. These turning points should be our guide to avoiding such bad choices in the future. Ahmadov, Ramin. The U.S. Policy toward Middle East in the Post-Cold War Era. Alternatives: The Turkish Journal of International Relations Spring/Summer 2005. Web. alternativesjournal.net/volume4/number1/ramin.pdf. Atiemo, Nancy. What is the relationship between the United States’ energy policy and its foreign policy in the Middle EastT? n.d. Dundee University. Web. dundee.ac.uk/cepmlp/car/html/CAR10_ARTICLE21.PDF.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Usa and Middle East, Heirs to a Millenium of Missteps specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Bridges, Cyprian. Sea Powerand Other Studies. Echo Library, 2006 . Web. https://books.google.com/books?hl=enlr=id=UTuZeVOU23QCoi=fndpg=PA1dq=%22why+did+the+crusades%22ots=ASWFLQn7mZsig=PKfclXE1VzsZHnjVTgNLrSoxgWU#v=onepageq=%22%20crusades%22f=false. Christie, Thomas B., Lara Zwarun and Andrew M. Clark. Finding a Credible Message to Win Hearts and Minds of the Muslim World: Article 2. Global Media Journal Volume 5.Issue 8 (2006). Web. http://lass.calumet.purdue.edu/cca/gmj/PDF_archive/amer_edition/spring2006/2%20Christie%20Clark%20Zwarun.pdf. Djerejian, Edward P. The US and the Middle East in a Changing World, The. Department of State Dispatch 444 (1992). Washington: HeinOnline, 2 June 1992. Web. http://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?collection=journalshandle=hein.journals/dsptch5div=246id=page=. Lawrence, Thomas Edward. Introductory Chapter. Seven Pillars of Wisdom. 2012. Web. http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks01/0100111h.html. Madden, Thomas, Carole Hillenbrand and Antonia Ryan. The Crusades: Why the Crusades Stil Matter: An Interview with Carole Hildebrand and Thomas Madden. 24 February 2006. National Catholic Reporter. Web. natcath.org/NCR_Online/archives2/2006a/022406/022406a.php. Ozdemir, Erhan. Globalization and Its Impact on the Middle East. 2008. US Navy Post-Graduate School. Web. http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?verb=getRecordmetadataPrefix=htmlidentifier=ADA493849. Woods, Joshua. The Common Enemy Rationale: An Attempt to Apply Concepts of Cognitive Consistency to the Portrayals of the United States in the Foreign Press. Fall 2005. Purdue.edu. Web. https://lass.calumet.purdue.edu/cca/gmj/PDF_archive/amer_edition/fall2005/4%20Woods.pdf.Advertising Looking for research paper on international relations? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Zakaria, Fareed. Why do They Hate Us? n.d. http://xa.yimg.com/kq/groups/12447013/417620819/name/whydotheyhateus.pdf.

See the dis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

See the dis - Essay Example A sales plan will be prudent since it helps in organizing and thinking through ones’ sales strategy. Its writing should be in a way that makes sense to the marketer. It should include the sales goals, which should be specific and measurable. The goal bases on the nature of product and breaks it down into manageable parts. For example, sell 50 units to end-users in 30 days and sell 100 units to local independent retailers in six months. Through this, the management will be able to know the projection of profits they would be able to make at a certain time (Ellis, Fitchet, Higgins, Jack, Lim, Saren and Tadajewski 25-26). The company should ensure it has sales activities, which would help the management develop a plan that makes sales. The sales can be direct-to-consumer through a website or via craft shows. In addition, the sales may include activities like developing a sell sheet, to send to independent retail stores (McLeish 45). This will enable the company realize more sales with more strategic sale plans in place since the management will know what to undertake at different times of economic downturns. With the growth use of the social site in UAE, the marketers should consider marketing the product on the website. ... Inconveniences arise to its customers if the number of distribution channels is too few, while too many distribution channels may increase its operating cost. There should therefore be a retail store with easy access and more convenient to the consumer (Ulph 98). The company should seek to adopt e-commerce fully at the stage of webpage promotion of products and services. This increases the chances of online sales and marketing at large. Summit sportswear should also seek to franchise its distribution channels, not only to increase its incomes, but also to minimize its operating cost and unify its operation mode to enhance its brand identity. In coming up with the retail prices, the company should research its competitors' prices and manufacturer suggested prices to determine product pricing. Once the product has moved from the wholesale, the retailers should decide on what type of retail prices to set. They can determine price by using three pricing models: cost-based pricing, compet ition-based pricing or customer-based pricing. Cost-based pricing sets the retailer’s price based on product and operating costs. Competition-based pricing uses local competitors' prices to decide on retail charges. Customer-based pricing sets retail prices based on how much the products is in demand (Ellis, Fitchet, Higgins, Jack, Lim, Saren and Tadajewski 180). In determining retail prices and the willingness of the customers to buy, the managers should review the manufacturer suggested retail price as a starting point. This would give managers an idea of the value of the product from the manufacturer's perspective. The organization should set prices close to his competitors (Synder 98). Charging too much or too little

Services of DEX Media Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Services of DEX Media - Assignment Example Additionally, Dex Media prints directories for use in automobiles. These directories feature maps, shopping guides, entertainment lists, and telephone as well as address information for central business district. Similarly, Dex Media prints bilingual directories in English and Spanish for about 20 markets. On the other hand, Dex Media offers digital services including marketing on search engine and optimization, keyword implementation, social media marketing, tracking, and reporting. Since most customers did not use print directories frequently, Dex Media faced stiff competition from online businesses and hence launched its online directory assistance program with an enhanced and superior internet search system. The company used recent technology to reinforce search ability of its content in more than 240000 advertisement displays in the company’s directories in the yellow pages. The Dex Media’s search system offers multiple search choices in a single search box thereby allowing customers to search using product or brand names, hours of operation, and location. Dex Media’s online presence is on the Dex Knows.com and Superpages.com. In addition, it offers consumer digital services like search portals, applications, and directories. The company displays content in a number of platforms in partnerships with digital companies like Google, Bing, Yahoo, and many others. Again, Dex Media offers face book creation with automatic updates and guidance on social media

Stress Management to Human Relations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Stress Management to Human Relations - Essay Example Arnold, Cooper & Robertson (1995) stated that a stress can be defines as a person's response to a disturbance and is any force that pushes a psychological or physical factor beyond its range if stability, producing a strain with the individual. It is likely to occur constitute a threat to the individual and a threat can cause a strain because of what it signifies to the person. Selye (1979) stated that job stress refers to the non-specific response of the body to any demands made upon it.. It is regarded to be an inner state or response to anything we consciously or unconsciously comprehend as a threat, either actual or reckoned (Clarke & Watson, 1991). While Robbins (2001) defines stress as an active condition in which the individual is faced with a chance, restraint, or demand linked to what he/she wants and for which the effect is apparent to be both tentative and vital. Stress at work is a comparatively new experience of modern lifestyles. With change, be it in working environment or change of cadre etc, comes stress and most certainly Professional stress or job stress presents a risk to physical health. Work linked stress in the life of controlled workers, subsequently, strikes the health of organizations. Actually Job stress is a chronic disease as a result of conditions in the workplace that adversely affect an individual's performance and/or on the whole well-being of his body and mind. A host of physical and mental illnesses attests job stress. Sometimes job stress can be crippling. In chronic cases a consultation with a psychiatric becomes necessaryt to validate the reason and degree of work related stress. According to Dr Bernard Lim, president of the Singapore Psychological Society (SPS), "Stress is part and parcel of life. In fact, without some stress at the workplace, we would not strive to meet deadlines or archieve production targets. Instead, one should look for alternatives to handle it. Resignation is only a last resort."On the reverse, there must be control in stress degrees since too much of it can be negative to one's physical as well as mental well-being. Dr. Lim also warned that "Excessive stress at the workplace can lead to increased blood pressure, heart rate, sweating, migraines, gastrointestinal disorders and emotional upheavals like anger, anxiety, depression and low esteem." Stress at Singapore: Similar to other industrialised countries, Singapore has to deal with a lot of major labour related challenges. The strong globalisation and fast technological development which is increasing day by day in the knowledge society has resulted in fast alteration in the Singapore economy and the labour market (A Turning Point, 2003). In reality, the entire employment landscape of the Republic is changing. Ho (2004) argued that Singapore's employment landscape is increasingly characterised by greater instability and more frequent job displacements. Furthermore, the fierce competition from overseas and an unstable domestic job market have brought in new challenges and demands on the workers of Singapore. These workers are required to realign attitudes and expectations by taking on latest attitudes of flexibility when searching for job opportunities (Ho, 2004; Aggarwal & Seet, 2005). Thus, retraining and lifelong learning have become a

Theories on the Gender Pay Gap

Theories on the Gender Pay Gap Australian women earn about 83 ¢ cents for every $1 a man earns, according to a new report analysing the gender pay gap. Linda McDowell suggests that gendered assumptions have a range of influences on contemporary workplaces. Analyse the gender pay gap, engaging with the theorists you have studied this semester. INTRODUCTION As Linda McDowell suggests, gendered assumptions coming from heteronormative ideals and rules significantly influence contemporary workplaces. This subsequently results in the gender pay gap (1995). This paper seeks to critically analyse the influences emanating from gendered assumptions on contemporary workplaces.   Additionally, the link between these assumptions and the gender pay gap will be examined. This will be executed through examining the impacts of heteronormativity, which result in a never-ending binarised cycle that perpetuates the gender pay gap. Further, the possible challenges to gendered assumptions introduced by Judith Butler will be examined. However, to ensure a well-rounded analysis, the shortcomings of these challenges, and the subversive power of hegemonic masculinity will also be discussed. WHAT IS THE GENDER PAY GAP? The gender pay gap in society is something that is deemed ‘distressingly evident’, and continues to steadily control women in society (McDowell 2014 p.829). In Australia, the Gender pay gap refers to the discrepancy in pay between men and women in employment. Current statistics highlight that full-time working women earn 84% of a mans pay, making the gender pay gap sit at 16%. (WGEA, 2017, p.8). From this, it is obvious that progress is necessary. However, progress is not only slow, but proving to be difficult, as the gender pay gap twenty years ago was sitting at 17%, meaning that it has taken up to two decades to improve women’s pay by a mere 1% (WGEA, 2017, p.8). This is highly indicative of the stronghold that institutionalised gendered assumptions have over the workforce, even in the twenty-first century. A key theorist on the gender pay gap, Linda McDowell, states that women in the workplace have fought to ‘establish the right to be there at all’ (1995,p.80). This idea that women need to gain rights to earn money is embedded in historical ideologies that are not only out-dated but still guide the lives of many women today. Early feminist interventions to improve access to work and pay rates are still ongoing, such as the Liberal Feminist movement. The Liberal Feminist movement began in the early 1800s, with the aim of providing women with rights equal to those of men in education, the workforce and in society   (Tong, 1989). Although some of the endeavours of the movement have been achieved, such as women acquiring corporate and authoritative jobs that were once male-dominated, there are new barriers (Bishom-Rapp, S & Sargeant, M, 2016). The gender pay gap is one of the most significant new barriers implemented by institutions to prevent further development of gender equality in the workforce. The gender pay gap can be seen as originating from the three ‘glass ceilings’ embedded in contemporary society, and subsequently, contemporary workplaces (Bishom-Rapp, S & Sargeant, M, 2016,p. 102). The term glass ceilings refers to the invisible barriers that women confront as they approach the top of the corporate hierarchy. This term was established by the Glass Ceilings Commission, which sought to identify the glass ceiling barriers, and remove the blockages to advancement of women and minorities in employment (USDOL, 1995). The commission found there were three levels of barriers. The first barrier is relates to prejudice and bias, coming from educational opportunities, or lack thereof. The second barrier is concerned with the internal structures of a business. These structures are controllable by the business. They relate to the corporate climate and what is referred to as ‘pipeline barriers’ that come from lack of training and career development, which leads to the stunting of possible career advancement (Bishom-Rapp, S & Sargeant, M, 2016,p. 103). The final barrier is concerned with the government, and the lack of law enforcement, combined with dissemination of information about glass ceiling issues (Bishom-Rapp, S & Sargeant, M, 2016, p. 103). Although these three barriers cannot solely justify the widespread hold that the gender pay gap has on contemporary workplaces, they seek to pinpoint where the gender pay gap stems from, allowing work to be done in addressing these areas. HETERONORMATIVITY IN CONTEMPORARY WORKFORCES With the fundamental aspects of the gender pay gap now having been examined, the forces that perpetuate the existence of this significant issue within society require analysis. The most pressing force is the concept of heteronormativity, which is a harmful gender assumption that has a substantial influence on contemporary workforces. Heteronormativity can be defined as ‘a body of lifestyle norms, in which people tend to reproduce distinct and complementary genders (man and woman)’ (Herz & Johannson, 2015, p.1011). In contemporary society, heteronormativity is deemed to keep women in (within its confines) and also keeps women down, that is, subordinated (Jackson, 1999). Feminist discourse surrounding heteronormativity rose in second-wave feminism, the movement that broadened the feminist debate to address issues of inequality and sexuality, as well as workplace difficulties for women (Evans 1995). However, the origins of the ‘normalised’ heterosexual label within society can go back to the historical and cultural depictions of men and women from the eighteenth century (Boe & Coykendall, 2014). Though heteronormativity has a substantial presence within history and society, its impact as a gendered assumption within contemporary workforces is substantial. As heteronormativity conditions men and women to act a certain way according to their sex (which is also historically and socially defined), it leaves women boxed in.   Heteronormativity and the strict, reinforced gender binaries within society reflect the systems of oppression, and the construction of gender hierarchies (Herz & Johannson, 2015, p.1011). In order to maintain a hold on society, ideas of conforming to hyper-heteronormative behaviours are reinforced by institutions within society. Subsequently, these societal influences reverberate into education, family-life and in particular, the workforce. Although women have gained the right to coexist with men in contemporary workplaces, strict gender binaries prevent women from career development, strengthened abilities, and subsequently reinforce the gender-pay gap. The work of Angela McRobbie, a key theorist in the area of gender inequality in the workforce is highly pertinent to this discussion. McRobbie’s concept of the post-feminist masquerade highlights the harmful impact of gender assumptions in contemporary workforces (2007). McRobbie critiques the hyper-gendered performances women have been encouraged to engage in, as they place emphasis on the sexed body, and in turn gender differences. The ‘post-feminist masquerade’ is a means for patriarchal law and hegemonic masculinity to gain dominance against feminism (McRobbie, 2007, p. 723). Hegemonic masculinity refers to the configuration of â€Å"gender practice, which embodies the currently accepted answer to the problem of legitimacy of patriarchy which guarantees the dominant position of men, and the subordination of women† (Bartholomaeus, 2013, p.280). This is done through encouraging women to engage in feminine consumer culture, so as to reinscribe their femini nity in the workplace (McRobbie, 2007). These hyper-gendered performances include subscribing to common feminine practices, such as wearing tight skirts, high heels and a face full of make up to assert their femininity (McRobbie, 2007, p.722).   As women are encouraged to perform hyper-femininity, institutions are able to reinforce fear of retribution from abandoning heteronormativity in the workplace. This forces women back within the rigid gender binary, creating an even greater divide between men and women in the workspace, ultimately perpetuating the gender pay gap. THE LINK TO THE GENDER PAY GAP AND THE REPERCUSSIONS Based on the analysis to date, the harmful nature of gender assumptions in the workplace has been examined. However, the way that these gendered assumptions impact the gender pay gap requires concentrated analysis. Gender assumptions have a direct link to the gender pay gap, as they dictate the field of work that many women are in. Women are significantly overrepresented in the lowest paying occupations, as female-dominated jobs pay far less than male-dominated jobs (Ting, 2017). Feminised jobs include those relating to care-taking or domestic tasks, such as nursing, cleaning and childcare. These sex-segregated jobs are clearly indicative of the roles ascribed to women within heterosexual discourse. These feminised jobs stems from what is known as the caregiver model. This model is a historical regime that took the inherent caregiver role of women, and limited their employment to areas relating to this heteronormative ideal (McRobbie, 2007).   As more women are found in jobs that abide by the caregiver model, the influence of this troublesome ancient structure today is evident (McRobbie, 2007, p.730) However, this caregiver model cannot explain the fact that the gender pay gap in Australia has been found to exist in more than 1,000 occupations (Ting, 2017). This is due to the fact that men in workplaces are promoted into higher positions rather than their female counterparts (Jaffee, 1989, p.377). This is problematic, as there is somewhat a double-disadvantage coming from these jobs. Women in feminised occupations are â€Å"twice disadvantaged- first by being in a â€Å"female† field, and second by being a woman in that field, since men make more than women, even in â€Å"female† fields†Ã¢â‚¬ (Bishom-Rapp & Sargeant, 2016, p. 137). Additionally, women in corporate jobs face vertical segregation. Vertical segregation refers to the exclusion of women from organisational positions of autonomy and authority, due to the sex differences within workplaces (Jaffee, 1989, p.387).   Thus, the gender pay gap not only stems from the one area of feminised jobs, but also from a lack of career advancement that is within the power of organisations in society. According to Wolf and Fligstein, the sexual differences in power in the work setting ‘are an important factor generating inequality in earnings between men and women’ (1979, 235). This highlights how ideas about the femininity of women drive contemporary workforce standards, as women are expected to perform work according to their performance of heterosexuality. Further, the long-term disadvantages that come from gendered assumptions and the subsequent gender pay gap will be critically analysed. Not only does the gender pay gap lead to disadvantage for women in social, financial and personal situations, but also leads to lifetime disadvantage. Lifetime disadvantage refers to the factors that lead to ‘the retirement ills of many women’ (Bishom-Rapp & Sargeant, 2016, p. 190). That is, the risks that women face from being unequally paid. As women go into retirement, they are at risk of experiencing the critical impact of the gender pay gap. Women subsequently earn less over their lifetime, which results in lower superannuation, and a risk of poverty in old age. In 2012, 21.7% of women aged over 65 were at risk of poverty, whereas only 16.3% of men were likely to experience poverty (Bishom-Rapp & Sargeant, 2016, p. 116). Gender inequality in the workforce not only reflects current social position and power inequalities, but it also leads to detrimental outcomes of lifetime disadvantage for women. TACKLING THE GENDER BINARY Although gendered assumptions continue to drive workplaces, there are ways to tackle this blatant discrimination that women face in employment. According to leading gender theorist, Judith Butler, there is a means to challenge heteronormativity, which forms the foundation for the gender pay gap. Butler believes that gender is reiterated through regulatory practices, and is culturally constructed through the heterosexual matrix (Butler, 1990, p.9). The heterosexual matrix refers to the re-stabilisation of gender through women repeatedly engaging in feminised behaviours and appearances (Butler, 1990). Therefore, the sexed body only gains significance from its constant reification and institutionalised endorsement within society. As the gender binary requires engagement by society, an inherent instability within this social construct can be made out (Butler, 1990, p11). Because of this, women are able to exploit gendered assumptions through their constant reinforcement, as it becomes obvious to those looking to challenge it. Women in the workforce have already taken charge in this area, as the overall gender pay gap in full-time employment decreased in 2015 to 2016 (WGEA, 2017,p.15). By viewing sex and gender as something culturally, historically and socially constructed, society will be able to define themselves with their own limitations and freedoms by challenging these constructed ideals. In particular, the feminist movement will make significant headway in this area through challenging normative heterosexuality. This effect will reverberate in the workforce, as the structures seeking to restrain women from challenging hegemonic masculinity will destabilise. The gender pay gap, in particular, has improved among men and women in trades including machinery operating and building, decreasing by 4% in terms of total remuneration between 2015 and 2016 (WGEA, 2017, p. 16). This is indicative of the progress being made by women in challenging the preconceived capabilities of their bodies. By going beyond the behaviours of gender that limit their capabilities, they are able to challenge both gender constructs and inequality in the workforce. As McDowell suggests, women’s sexed bodies are threatening in the workplace for the very reason that they are not meant to be there -‘They challenge the order of things’ (1995,p.80). Not only have women challenged order through entering the workforce; they have also challenged the very structured foundation of the order.   This provides women with the means to break through the metaphorical glass ceilings that limit equality in the workplace. Additionally, if women persevered with obtaining both equality and equity, it would ‘liberate not only women but also human personality from the straitjacket of gender’ (Herz & Johannson, 2015, p.1010). Therefore, by furthering the feminist movement, those reinforcing hegemonic masculinity and the institutions that enforce gendered assumptions will be disembodied. This includes the governing of each individual of society through the heterosexual matrix. THE PARADOX THAT IS GENDER EQUALITY In current gender studies, there are now ways to challenge gender assumptions that feed the gender pay gap. However, the gender pay gap is not in steady decline, and is expected to hold its position, if not rise in areas of managerial roles (WGEA, 2017, p. 6). As individuals are provided with the previously mentioned means to challenge the reification of gender binaries, the institutional stronghold over sex and gender conceptions tightens, finding new ways to subvert these challenges. By virtue of the fact that women are entering the workforce and fighting for equal pay, hegemonic masculinity is weakened. Because of this, institutions use any perceived gender equality improvements to set the fight back, rather than enhance it. This can be seen through the concept of ‘attribution of capacity’ enunciated by Angela McRobbie (2007). This attribution of capacity refers to the freedom given to women in the workforce. In a post-feminist context, women are provided with roles of accountability and autonomy, with the expectation of embodying a strong, can-do attitude to work. However, McRobbie argues that these improvements are instead reinscription of hegemonic masculinity, leading to drawbacks in the fight for equal pay. Women are ‘invited to recognise themselves as privileged subjects’ and are expected to be grateful for achieving   (with a fight) the fundamental human right of equality (McRobbie, 2007, p, 722). As institutions have relinquished this control over who enters the workforce, they apply new barriers under the faà §ade of equality. Women are now expected to be accomplished subjects who can come forward, however this is only on the condition that feminism fades away despit e neither equality nor equity being achieved (McRobbie, 2007, p.720). Therein lies what Raewyn Connell refers to as the patriarchal dividend, which is the advantage given to men as a group from maintaining inequality within society (2009). Monetary income from the workforce is just one of the benefits, in addition to respect, safety, institutional power and autonomy. (Connell, 2009, p.142). From the reinforcement of hegemony, the patriarchal dividend and gender binaries within society as a response to feminist movements, women are once again placed back into the labels and categories that they first sought to escape from, subverting years of feminist work. Additionally, the critique of the ‘Virgin Atlantic: 25 years: Still red-hot’ highlights the drawback that women face in the postfeminist struggle for equality (Duffy et al., 2016). The article critiques the marketing strategies used to evoke idealised gender appearances in a postmodern context in order to facilitate the perpetuation of gender binaries. The advertisement ultimately utilises ‘good old-fashioned sexism while simultaneously distancing themselves from it’, which suggests that the institutions that seek to retain a hold over postmodern feminism have utilised the newfound freedom of women and bent it to their will, making women slaves in their own emancipation (Duffy et al., 2016, p. 266). CONCLUSION Ultimately, by examining the structures within the contemporary workforce, the gender pay gap has been critically analysed. By examining the institutionalised gender binaries entrenched within society, the root causes of the gender pay gap have been established and evaluated. The analysis reveals that through heteronormativity and the enforcement of gender binaries, the gender pay gap is perpetually reified, with lifelong effects. Although Butler provides an outlet for change through challenging these binaries, the institutional stronghold over the sexed body and its link to societal outcomes proves to be rigidly in place, as discussed by a key theorist studied within the unit, Angela McRobbie. REFERENCE LIST: 1. Bartholomaeus, C (2013) ‘Colluding With or Challenging Hegemonic Masculinity’.  Australian Feminist Studies, vol. 28, pp. 279-293. 2. Bishom-Rapp, S & Sargeant, M (2016) Lifetime disadvantage, discrimination and the gendered workforce. Cambridge University press. 3. Boe, A & Coykendall, A (2014) Heteronormativity in Eighteenth-century Literature and Culture. Ashgate publications. 4. Butler, J. (1990). Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity, New York: Routledge, pp.1-19. 5. Connell, R (2009). Gender Politics.  Gender. Pp.136–51. Cambridge: Polity Press. 6. Duffy, K, Hancock, P, & Tyler, M (2016) ‘Still red-hot? Postfeminism and gender subjectivity in the airline industry’. Gender, work and organization, vol. 24, pp. 260-273. 7. Evans, J (1995) Feminist theory today: An introduction to second-wave feminism. Sage publications. 8. Herz, M & Johansson, T (2015). ‘The normativity of the concept of heteronormativity’. Journal of Homosexuality. Pp. 1009- 10209. 9. Jackson, S (1999) Heterosexuality in question. Sage publications. 10. Jaffee, D (1989) ‘Gender inequality in workplace autonomy and authority’. Social science quarterly, vol. 70, pp. 375-390 11. McDowell, L (1995) Body work: heterosexual gender performances in city workplaces. (Routledge) 12. McDowell, L (2014) ‘Gender, work employment and society: Feminist reflections on community and change’. Work, employment & society. pp.825-837. 13. McRobbie, A (2007) ‘Top Girls? Young women and the post-feminist sexual contract’. Cultural Studies. pp.718-737. 14. Ting, I 2017. ‘The gender income gap in more than 1000 occupations, in one chart’, The Age. Viewed: 22 April 2017.

Colonization and Wealth in Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness and Chinua

Colonization and Views on Wealth in Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness and Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart The novels Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad and Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe share a common theme; both deal with the colonization of Africa by settlers from Europe. When one examines the motives for this imperialist attitude in each book, one notices that in both books the motivation for colonization revolves around the gaining of wealth. However Conrad and Achebe define wealth differently. In Heart of Darkness the Europeans view wealth economically, such as the trading of ivory. In Things Fall Apart the idea of wealth is viewed by Europeans as belonging to and spreading the European culture and religion. Despite these different definitions of wealth, both groups of Europeans obtain their wealth by assuming a position of power over the Africans. However, the Africans in Things Fall Apart have an opposing view of wealth; that of peace and status within their society. Because of this they achieve wealth in a different manner than the Europeans. These methods of acquiring wealt h suggest that the conflicts in Africa are a result of the colonization efforts of the Europeans. The main reason for colonization of Africa by Europeans is for profit. In the novel Heart of Darkness, profit comes from the ivory that the Europeans receive from trade agreements with the Africans. This desire is evident as suggested in this quote: â€Å"The only real feeling was a desire to get appointed to a trading-post where ivory was to be had, so that they could earn percentages† (Conrad 42). This statement shows that all the Europeans want from Africa is ivory. Therefore, it can be assumed that one of the main reasons that colonization to... ...onial conflict is entirely one sided. The Europeans have been shown to define wealth as gaining money and spreading their religion, therefore they can be seen as the aggressors in this conflict, reaching outside of their area for personal gain and profit. To obtain this wealth they assume a position of power over the Africans by enslaving them and using their knowledge to overthrow the African culture and religion. The Africans view of wealth and their method for obtaining this wealth in no way involves the Europeans. All that the Africans wanted to do was to continue living on their own and to not be intruded upon. From this, one can see that the colonial conflict is entirely due to the Europeans desire for wealth. Works Cited Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. New York: Anchor Books, 1994. Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness. New York: Penguin Books, 1999.