Suicide In Pop Music Culture Media Essay

Suicide In Pop Music Culture Media Essay Growing up is hard enough for most teenagers and music has always acted as is an important crutch for them to turn to when times are hard. Music plays a vital role in youth culture and has also become a question of morality when it comes to specific music genres that may be deemed inappropriate because of the content and message their music gives out (Zillmann and Gan, 1997; Ter Bogt, 1997). Some believe particular genres of music are potentially dangerous to young people and the music and its performers are professed as encouraging and propagating adolescent substance use, violating the law for glorification, delinquency (Christenson and Roberts, 1998). Genres which are included in this bracket are heavy metal and rap, having a particularly negative image in the media. In past and current years, the artists of these genres have felt the heat from the authorities that deem their musical content inappropriate material for the younger generation to listen to, believing it is responsible for teen suicides and other negative behavioral (Binder, 1993; Fried, 2003). The Questions Suicide is a popular theme in sub-cultural styles of music. There have been many articles in the press about artists and bands that have been blamed and targeted for the supposed responsibility of teenage fans committing suicide after listening to their music. But is it fair to be so blasà © and blame these artists because their music contains suicidal references? Should the finger be so starkly pointed at these artists? Is it justifiable and fair? If not, who is to blame? The parents? Our education system? The media? All these points will be addressed in this article and concluded thoughtfully after cross-examination and circumstantial evidence presented. The Beginning-Elvis starts it The beginning of this debate started when Rock and Roll, a new genre of music, exploded into the media in the 1950s. Elvis Presley was the forefather and the voice of this generation. He created a new of type of music that people had never heard before; a style of music the younger generation connected with. This voice represented their drive for life, their sexuality and belief in living their lives in the way they wanted, not their parents. This new way was rejected and considered by the authorities as a danger to the youth as they tried to repress this new artist by implementing bans and censorships. Perhaps one of the most famous incidents of censorship was when Presley appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show. The show was broadcast with Presley only being filmed from the waist up, as his gyratory hip movements were deemed too obscene to air. The older generation shouted about their intense abhorrence and that they regarded this type of behavior to be damaging to the teen generation. They believed that it would create an epidemic and it needed to be stopped. Yet with all this press attention focused on Presley, all this actually did was to swell the desire in the fans for him and his music. This did exactly the opposite to what the authorities wanted and propelled him to fame. They made him into the bad-boy superstar that sold millions of records worldwide by giving him his free publicity. This was the beginning of the extremism of politics in music that would occur in the future. The 70s; a precursor to 1990s accusations In 1972, Gilbert OSullivan spent six weeks at the top of the Billboard charts with the song Alone Again. In this song, OSullivan contemplated throwing himself off a nearby tower because he had been betrayed by everyone. Leonard Cohen threatened to slit his wrists in Dress Rehearsal Rag (1971) for similar reasons. Yet because OSullivans appealed to the conservative Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences society, musical threats of suicide did not provoke anything neighboring on a moral panic in those years. The theme of suicide was incorporated into mainstream pop culture in a thoroughly romantic fashion, just as it had been in romance novels and tragic opera where suicide was common place, yet deemed acceptable in this period. MTV and radio split 1981 was a turning point for dividing the younger and older generations in musical appropriateness. On August 1st, MTV began transmission. It is fair to say that music television has assumed radios responsibility for breaking new acts (Shuker 1994, ch. 7). Radio and MTV became divided down the middle on this generation gap. Radio broadcasts the old, the familiar and the reassuring, while music television assumes responsibility for the new, the unfamiliar and the shocking. FMs audience does not seem to change its tastes or look for the thrill of the new. FMs audience listened to the Eagles in the 1970s on its record players, it tuned into FM in the 1980s so it could listen to the Eagles on its car radios, and now it is the 1990s and it still wants to listen to the Eagles perhaps so it can remember the 1970s. (Turner 1993, p. 145) Commercial radio has emerged since the 1970s as one of the most evidently sites of cultural struggle. This is especially between the baby boom generations, for whom rock radio has become a predictable asylum from the anxieties of life. Yet their children for whom hip-hop, alternative and metal stand for nothing less than the manifestation of their status as musical outsiders. Types of music to blame and court cases Rock critics no longer judge music worth on grounds of composition but instead spew careless stereotypes. Heavy metal is widely generalized to be perceived as dark, depressing music to listen to. Many of the songs are reflective of the artists I-dont-give-a-damn attitude, in visual appearance and dark lyrical content. Heavy metal is the most recent target that is attracting extremist accusations that it induces its listeners to experience occultism and Satanism ranging through to sexism and racism to murderous and suicidal tendencies. (Shuker 1994, pp.260-2). Metal evolved in the 1970s out of mainstream album-oriented rock, typified by bands like Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple which, in turn, had their roots in the blues-based hard rock of 1960s acts like Cream and Jimi Hendrix. But because they were hardening musically at precisely the moment when radio and its coveted baby boomer demographic were softening into adult-oriented formats, metal bands were driven underground, promoting their records by means of relentless touring and by word of mouth. There is no hard evidence to support that heavy metal music is actually instructing its listeners to do bad things, just peoples perceiving this music in this way because it is not happy, bouncy music. A 1993 study showed heavy metal inspired happy feelings in most fans, with the small number of those who reported feeling worse more likely to already suffering mental health problems. Many people feel that it is a cathartic way of venting and getting rid of their frustrations. Is it right to expect the artist to take responsibility when a teen does commit suicide after obsessively listening to their music? Is there any just cause in blaming them because their lyrics contain depressive material? Some people seem to think so. The 80s saw an influx of court cases against artists and it was also the decade that introduced the Parental Advisory stickers. In 1985, Parental Advisory stickers were affixed by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) to audio and video recordings in the United States containing offensive language and/or content. Albums began to be labeled for explicit lyrics, after pressure from the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC). It has become known as the Tipper sticker because of Tipper Gores visible role in the PMRC. 1985 saw British heavy metal artist Ozzy Osbourne making his first court appearance on charges that the song Suicide Solution had caused nineteen-year-old John McCullom to attempt suicide, regardless of Osbournes repeated claims that Suicide Solution was written about the death of AC/DCs Bon Scott and that, therefore, it carried a positive anti-suicide message. The case was dismissed on the grounds that song lyrics are protected speech under the First Amendment. Another court case was brought against Judas Priest in 1990, in which the song Better By You, Better Than Me was alleged to have caused the suicide of Raymond Belnap and the attempted suicide of his friend James Vance. What was different about this case was the fact that this case pivoted on the allegation that the band had hidden subliminal messages, buried into their recordings. The attorney for the accusation claimed that satanic messages could be heard when playing the music is backwards. Judge Jerry Carr Whitehead ruled explicitly at the beginning that the court was not interested in the unconcealed lyrical content of rock songs because it was protected by the First Amendment; only the so-called subliminal messages were in question, he ruled, because they did not constitute an open exchange of information. The leading sound expert for the prosecution, attempted to persuade the court that he had expose the backwards words Do it in the song and that this was a clear provocation fo r its listeners to commit suicide. This case was thrown out of court when Judas Priest, defending themselves, chose a section of the song and told the jury that they would hear a certain silly phrase when they played that particular part backwards. Sure enough, this silly phrase is what they heard and the case was thrown out of court.>> This proved that if you are listening hard enough, you can hear anything you want to hear making this claim incongruous. This case, and others like it, went a long way towards legitimizing the once-preposterous claim that subliminal messages are frequent in heavy metal music and that they exert an almost hypnotic power (Billard 1990; Henry 1990, p. 65). Lead singer, Rob Halford, noted in the aftermath of the trial, What we went through . . . we considered that simply an attack on our artistic expression. It was nothing to do with real subliminals.'(Burns 1990, pp. 100-14) The 1980s saw the biggest increase in teen suicides. Lawrence Grossbergs definitive study of American culture under neo-conservatism, We Gotta Get Out Of This Place, has woven its political agenda into the mainstream of North American life, where it now manifests itself both as a moral panic. A vote from this book states: In 1940, the major problems were listed as: talking, chewing gum, making noise, running in the halls, getting out of turn in line, wearing improper clothing, not putting paper in waste baskets. Forty years on in 1982: rape, robbery, assault, burglary, arson, bombings, murder, suicide, absenteeism, vandalism, extortion, drug abuse, alcohol abuse, gang warfare, pregnancy, abortion, and venereal disease (Grossberg 1992, pp. 185-8). Teen suicide had reached truly epidemic proportions, and has continued to escalate. The study concludes: Individuals born in the latter part of the twentieth century, are at far greater risk [than their predecessors] for developing [suicide-related] mood disorders and these disorders are manifesting themselves at a younger age (Birmaher et al. 1996, pp. 1,428-30). While it is easy for the conservatives to blame this epidemic on rock music, it is nothing but speculation and there is no hard evidence to back up their ideological views. A 1997 AACAP study entitled Precipitating factors and life events in serious suicide attempts among youths aged 13 through 24 years concluded that the most common occurrence of serious suicide attempts were relationship breakdowns, other personal problems, and financial difficulties. (Beautrais et al. 1997, pp. 1,543-51) Dr Barry Goldfinkel of the University of Minnesota Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Division, insists: Ninety out of 100 kids who kill themselves meet a psychiatric diagnosis. Kids dont commit suicide just because theyve been treated harshly or lifes dealt them a bad hand. Its the internal process going on, not merely the fact of ones horrible existence. (Wartik 1995, p. 23) Marilyn Manson In the late 90s, Goth-rocker Marilyn Manson arrived on the scene. He was one of the biggest stars that rose through MTV and one of the most controversial to date. He stormed to the top of the charts, catapulting to worldwide fame. Manson was not your average artist. His image has been described as a brickolage of jack boots, leather, lingerie, black lipstick, eerie contact lenses and cadaverous face paint (Hebdige 1979, pp. 102-4; Thigpen 1997, p. 68). He has been arrested for exposing himself on stage and criticized for his indulgence in self-mutilation. His music was inexorably tangled up with criticism of his appearance and the visual content of his videos and he was the next scapegoat for the PMRC to target. In his opening remarks as host of the 1998 Grammy Award Show, sitcom actor, substance abuser and convicted drunk driver Kelsey Grammer promised that Marilyn Mansons skinny white ass would not be appearing on the show. It was a truly extraordinary moment. Referring explicitly to his own teenage daughter, Spencer, Grammer couched this slur in the form of an inside joke for the baby boomer parents of children with seemingly inexplicable musical tastes. In so doing, he affirmed not only the intractable conservatism of the Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences but also the arrogant hegemony of his own generation within mainstream musical culture. The show proceeded to reward Bob Dylan with Album of the Year, James Taylor with Best Pop Album and Elton John with Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, while lavishing unbridled approbation upon the newest crop of corporate hit-makers, including Babyface, LeAnn Rimes, Hanson and the ubiquitous Spice Girls. Mitch Miller could not have orchestrated a more thoroughgoing tribute to the pop music status quo in America. The influence of music-based subcultures on suicide has been the subject of debate for many years. The above quote goes to show the hypocrisy and the neo-conservatism attitude that has settled in society,just like the text in Grossbergs book, We Gotta Get Out Of This Place. When the Columbine High School massacre happened, it was exposed that the teenagers responsible listened to Marilyn Manson. When two girls raped a nun with a crucifix and tortured her to death, it was discovered that they too, listened to Marilyn Manson. Gesticulations were made and the finger pointed at Manson for being responsible for poisoning their minds and making them commits these murders and suicides, through his music. Democratic Senator Joseph Lieberman called him perhaps the sickest artist ever promoted by a mainstream record company (Jeffrey 1996, p. 3) and put enormous pressure on his label, Interscope to cease selling his records. This was at the height of Mansons third album Antichrist Superstar. The album had reached Billboard Top 200 Album Chart at Number 3 and Manson had become the perfect scapegoat for the ethical guardians. Much like what had happened with Presley, history was repeating itself and by his position in the charts, it is obvious to see that this press was helping sell more records than ever. It is clear from his autobiography that Manson takes himself and his music very seriously, that his analysis of organized religion is both personal and ideological, and that his music is not intended to induce self-destructive behaviour but to inspire strength and independence. He told a panel for discussion on MuchMusic (Canadas music video network): I see what I do as a positive thing. I try to bring people closer to themselves. That may be further away from God but thats closer to themselves. I think thats a good thing. I think that makes people stronger. . . Im trying to tell people to believe in themselves because thats all that they have to believe in. I think thats a positive thing. (MuchMusic 1996) It seems that Manson is not just a guy with a burning ambition to be an adored Rock star. He is a man that is trying to get people to open their eyes to the conformist ideals of the neo-conservative army which he believes have been trying to brain wash a nation, into believing it needs shelter and protection from themselves. He has fought back against the machine and made his messages loud and clear. A tee-shirt for sale at his concerts summarizes his agenda concisely: Warning, the music of Marilyn Manson contains messages that will Kill God In your impressionable teenage mind, as a result you could be convinced to Kill your mom and dad And eventually in an act of hopeless Rock and Roll behavior you will Kill yourself. Please burn your records while there is still hope. Manson published an open letter on the Columbine killings in Rolling Stone in which he reiterated the critique of American society that has been so forcefully articulated in his music: When it comes down to whos to blame for the high school murders in Littleton, Colorado, throw a rock and youll hit someone whos guilty. Were the people who sit back and tolerate children owning guns, and were the ones who tune in and watch the up-to-the-minute details of what they do with them. I think its terrible when anyone dies, especially if its someone you know and love . . . This kind of controversy does not help me sell records or tickets, and I wouldnt want it to. Im a controversial artist, one who dares to have an opinion and bothers to create music and videos that challenge peoples ideas in a world that is watered-down and hollow. In my work I examine the America we live in, and Ive always tried to show people that the devil we blame out atrocities on is really just each one of us. So dont expect the end of the world to come one day out of the blue its been happening every day for a long time. (Manson 1999) The Answer In the wake of the Columbine tragedy, the authorities are franticly trying to find short term answers to the problem of teen suicides and the bloody massacres that occur along side this. This is a problem that has not been identified and many feel that they are searching for answers in the wrong place. For example, after Columbine, the teenagers were considered to be the enemy when schools in America installed metal detectors at the entrances to stop children bringing guns into school. A short term answer to a continuing problem, surely the education and up-bringing of the child are key factors, (not the tools society hands to them on a plate, ironically)? Tipper Gores Parents Music Resource Center, feels that certain music groups are to blame for the suicides and have attacked the music industry. They professed to say that because one suburban teen had written down the lyrics to Fade to Black before taking her life that this was evidence and Proof that this music was responsible and encouraged the teen to kill themselves. In the year 2007, the next new wave of music has arrived and instead of heavily metal being targeted, emo and hip hop are now seemingly liable. Over a decade on, have we learnt from our past mistakes in teaching our misguided youth? It seems not. Just weeks ago, the Virginia Tech tragedy occurred when another troubled teen went on a rampage, killing his classmates and school teachers and then turned the gun on himself. Parents and schools have renounced their responsibility to these teens. In their absence, a psychiatric empire has been created to provide easy answers through medication. A host of psychiatric drugs provided the easy solution to teen suicide. In the absence of parents and teachers who care, todays suburban teens can pharmaceutically control their feelings. But, t what price? Teen suicides may have declined, but, it seems that these medications have helped some teens externalize their depression, erupting into rage. Of course, blaming the medication for the violence is as wrong as blaming the guns, the music or the violent video games and movies. It is not what teens hear in their music or see in the movies or video games that causes the rage. Its the teens inability to handle their feelings of abandonment. But perhaps people in the public eye should take some responsibility if they are communicating with people on such grand scales, as Rock stars do. Beto Cuevas, the lead singer of La Ley, felt he had to do something when he discovered a fan had committed suicide after finding out she could not meet her idols. This was the last straw in her tragic ending but Cuevas felt he had to do something and thought, that through music, he could write a song that would reach his fans. In many ways its about people helping people, Ive talked to fans who said the song has left them thinking about options. Its a problem we have in our daily lives. Sometimes its as simple as listening to someone, your children. Troubled youths have taken comfort in the darker forms of rock music- just as music lovers of all ages find consolation in the music that seems to articulate their losses, their pain and their grief. The problem lies in lacking parent and community supports. In the wake of two Australian teenage suicides, Prime Minister of Australia, John Howard, has called on parents to support their children more. I think the greatest thing that has to be said about this is that parental responsibility in the end is the key to behavior by children. Government cant educate parents if they dont have an instinct for responsibility. And while there are things the Government can do, there is a limit before you start running up against freedom of speech.

Boxing Should Be Banned

Akeira Golden March 28, 2013 Ms. Lewis Critical Reading Boxing is Dangerous and should be banned The article suggests that boxing needs a fighting chance but I would disagree on that. Boxing is a dangerous sport that can result in death, concussions, and forms of dementia from too much head blows throughout their career. Boxers like Benny †kid† Paret and Deuk koo kim have died in the ring due to injuries sustained during a fight. Boxing involves powerful people pounding each other in the head, and ribs until one has won.Even doctors see boxing as a dangerously unacceptable sport. Although boxing can cause injuries that you may see for example, black eyes, broken nose and swollen mouth, it also can cause injuries that are inside like internal bleeding caused by too many blows to the ribs. The sport of boxing maybe fun and entertaining to watch but dangerous in reality and should be banned. Many boxers are married with children, they can have one fight cause them not to see they daughter face again. Study shows too many blows to the eye can result in blindness.Boxing can be dangerous to the boxer that wins for instance in November 2011, James Butler lost against Alien Grant, so he invited him to the middle of the ring to congratulate him but instead he hit him with a haymaker breaking his jaw etc. Some boxers don’t know how to take their lost like a man in end up trying to retaliate. Everyone knows the Holyfield- Tyson fight when holy field and Tyson was going head to head in trying to win , when Tyson was upset that Holyfield was head-butting him he did a cannibalistic move and bit off his ear spitting it on the boxing ring floor.One fight resulted in a boxer losing his ear just because of retaliation. Boxing should be banned all the cons that’s in boxing and what boxing is all about. People killing each other and not getting penalized for it because it’s a sport. What about those families who are sitting in the audience watching their relative fall to the floor not knowing if he’s dead or just badly injured? Some may see boxing as a fun sport that gets you into shape but not see how boxers are getting damaged for the rest of their lives. In conclusion, boxing should have never been permitted so it definitely shouldn’t be given another chance.In the ring pounding each other brains out body parts on the floor, blood flying everywhere for what? A title?. Boxing doesn’t make sense it’s a sport where you are able to beat someone to death and not get penalized for it. I disagree with the author that thinks boxing needs a fighting chance. He may only think that because he sitting back and watching others beat their selves to death and he not in the ring getting himself hurt. These people be scarred for the rest of their life instead of using their strength to do something productive they use it to beat people to death.

Cyber Crime - 2799 Words

Cyber Crime and Security Submitted by: Ms.Poonam S. Ramteke (T.E C.S.E) psr_219@yahoo.com(9923115394) K.I.T.’s College of Engineering. ABSTRACT : Society is becoming more dependent upon data and networks to operate our businesses, government, national defense and other critical functions. Cybercrime, which is rapidly increasing in frequency and in severity, requires us to rethink how we should enforce our criminal laws. The current model of reactive, police-based enforcement, with its origins in real-world urbanization, does not and cannot protect society from criminals using computer technology. This paper gives detailed information regarding cybercrime, its†¦show more content†¦The users usually have a link to a page that looks almost like that of the real bank. Spam: Spam is the abuse of electronic messaging systems to send unsolicited bulk messages indiscriminately. While the most widely recognized form of spam is e-mail spam. As applied to email, specific anti-spam laws are relatively new, however limits on unsolicited electronic communications have existed in some forms for some time. Fraud: Computer fraud is any dishonest misrepresentation of fact intended to induce another to do or refrain from doing something which causes loss. In this context, the fraud will result in obtaining a benefit by altering computer input in an unauthorized way. This requires little technical expertise and real programming skills and is not an uncommon form of theft by employees which includes altering, destroying, suppressing, or stealing output, usually to conceal unauthorized transactions. Harassment: Some content may be offensive in a non-specific way, harassment directs obscenities and derogatory comments at specific individuals focusing for example on gender, race, religion, nationality, sexual orientation. This often occurs in chat rooms, through newsgroups, and by sending hate e-mail to interested parties . 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Womens Pay Average To Mens Business Essay - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 5 Words: 1524 Downloads: 8 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Business Essay Type Compare and contrast essay Level High school Did you like this example? It is 30 years since the implementation of the Equal Pay Act   and Sex Discrimination Act, yet women in the UK still earn on average 18% less per hour than men (What is The Pay Gap and Why Does it Exist?, 2005). The rate of reduction in this gender pay gap has also slowed, as can be seen from the negligible change between the 2003 and 2005 figures (Towards Equal Pay, 2003). The most obvious question to be answered is why does this ingrained pay gap exist? Is there a policy of discrimination against women by employers? Or, is just a case of the simplistic interpretation of a figure which disguises underlying socio-economic factors which employers have little to do with? This article is going to look at the role that discrimination legislation has had in addressing this, what recent developments have taken place in the area and what future changes in the law which might be beneficial. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Womens Pay Average To Mens Business Essay" essay for you Create order It is important first to clarify what is meant by â€Å"equal pay†, because there are two separate but intertwined issues . The first, which we will call the micro pay issue, involves clear discrimination:   where a man and a woman do the same job but the woman is paid less the â€Å"equal pay for equal work† issue. However, there is also a second   more complex issue and which we will call the macro pay issue. This encompasses all the broader socio-economic factors that may create the differences in averages. The Micro Issue    It is easy for todays women to forget that open pay discrimination was a prevalent, and even accepted, practice into the 1970s. The Equal Pay Act 1970 (as amended), and other ancillary legislation, has proved very effective in eliminating such blatant discrimination.   This legislation functions reasonably simply in that it bans pay discrimination based on gender. It does this by allowing those workers who believe they are doin g the same work, but   are paid lower rates because of their gender to bring an   action at an Employment Tribunal. The tribunal will then decide if the workers are doing â€Å"like work† or â€Å"work of equal value† . This process has been made even simpler since the introduction of the Equal Pay Questionnaire (EPQ) in 2003. The EPQ is a standardized questionnaire which allows the person who believes they are not receiving equal pay (the complainant) to fill in and present this form to her/his employer (the respondent). On this form the complainant must identify a person of the opposite sex who is doing the same, or similar work, of like value (known as the â€Å"comparator†) whom they believe is paid more. Pay in this case refers to the whole range of remunerative elements like holiday pay, sick leave, bonuses, and even redundancy. Once this is presented to an employer they may just accept the argument and agree to the request for equal pay or fil l in the required sections disclosing a comparators salaries or possibly making their own counter-arguments. However, they are not required to answer the questionnaire. But, if the complaint brings an action and the employer does not respond to the questionnaire or does so in an â€Å"evasive or ambiguous† an adverse implication could be drawn . This is a very effective way to target remaining cases of sex discrimination. The aim is to make a workplace resolution of this issue possible and avoid costly and counterproductive litigation. In the high profile Stephanie Villalba case against Merrill Lynch, Ms. Villalba attempted to use cross-border comparisons will male colleagues in international Merrill Lynch offices in order to demonstrate the inequality of her pay (McCormack, 2004) . And while she lost the case it does demonstrate that the boundaries are continually being pushed in this area. The Macro Issues The reason for the gender gap however is more complex t han just blatant discrimination. The average hourly pay figure that is used commonly when referring to equality of pay is just an overall average of payments made to male and female employees for the hours they work. This figure encompasses much more than the â€Å"equal pay for equal work† issue because it is an average and so takes into account broader factors. Some simple detective work will reveal the nature of this issue. After the introduction of a mandatory minimum wage the gender pay gap decreased by 2%. The reason for this was that 70% of the jobs affected by the legislation were occupied by women (Making a Difference,2001) and so their average wages rose disproportionably to men and the gender gap   fell. This clearly demonstrates that the second strand of the equal pay problem is that a large number of women occupy occupations/professions or take jobs that pay less. Why is this? In December 2001 The Government published the KingsMill Review (Kingsmill, 2001)   and this is the best source of information we have to identify the relevant factors. These are: Qualifications Gaps: historically men have held better qualifications that women, although this effect is clearly tailing   off or disappearing    as womens access to education has increased. Continuity of Experience: women have tended to take breaks to have and to raise children. This can lead to lower continuous experience levels which is then reflected in pay. Part Time Work: Women have tended to occupy more part-time jobs because they often try to balance work with childcare. These jobs tend to be in occupations which are lower paid and as such this drives down their average earnings. Commuting: because of their need to jungle a job and childcare they are less able to commute long-distances and need to find employment locally. This affects their income because there is a lower pool of jobs open to them and more women are clustered around the same locations competing f or those jobs. Job Segregation: 60 percent of women work in just 10 occupations; and these tend to be the lowest paid occupations. The question which must be asked is whether any of these issues can be addressed by the current laws or is legislation the wrong route to take. The pay gap is clearly narrowing, but it is also possible that the gap will never close because of large numbers of women voluntary choose to take lower paid work in order to raise a family. And legislation cannot be used to force this to change. However, it is equally likely that some of the factors that were identified above can be reduced or eliminated with the use of more ‘carrot and less ‘stick. The effect of the minimum wage legislation was clearly quite effective in narrowing the gap even if this was not the main reason for the legislation. But this form of legislation may have its limits and a more subtle legislative interventions might be required. For example,   a legal requiremen t for better workplace childcare so that women might not develop a gap in experience and be able to travel further to work. Alternatively the   discrimination against part-time workers could be targeted, as it was with The Part Time Workers Regulation 2000;   which is attempting to remove discrimination against such workers. Some form of legislative female quotas for certain occupations might also be introduced starting with the NHS. This is a draconian move but it could give women a once off   â€Å"leg up†.   On the other hand legislative intervention of the kind above is   controversial and be counterproductive.   The more rights   granted to a woman   the more likely might   an employer might just stop hiring women in the first place for fear of the â€Å"costs† and difficulties imposed. In the final analysis the solution to the search for equal pay will be a multifaceted approach that addresses all of the issues and does not become to focu sed on the belief that it is caused by blatant discrimination. Back to: Custom Essays Biblography Foster, C, New government plan to end career sexism, Equal Opportunities Review 2004, 2004, 136, p17-19. Kingsmill, D, The Kingsmill Review Of Womens Pay and Employment, 2003, URL https://www.kingsmillreview.gov.uk. Lande, B, Equal Pay: Mind the Gender Gap, Employment Law Journal, 2003, 41(Jun), p 3-5. ‘Towards a Closing of the Gender Pay Gap, Retrieved Nov 2005 from https://   www.likestilling.no/genderpaygap/statistics/statistics_paygapdevelopments.html Williams, C, Still a Mans World Men Who Do Womens Work, 1995, The University of California Press. References Kingsmill, D, The Kingsmill Review Of Womens Pay and Employment, 2003, Chapter 2 -Evidence and Analysis,   URL https://www.kingsmillreview.gov.uk McCormack, M, 2004, Sex Discrimination: Gender Pay gap Prompts Legal Challenge, Employment Law Journal, 2004, 54(Oct), p15-17. ‘Making a Difference, 2001, Report of the Law Pay Commission,3rd report, Vol 1, p. vi. ‘Towards Equal Pay, 2003, Employment Law Bulletin 2003, 55 Jun, pp 2-8. ‘What is the pay gap and why does it exist, Retrieved Nov. 2005 from https:// www.womenandequalityunit.gov.uk/pay/pay_facts.htm. 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