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Posts by Melinda Koster

Melinda Koster has been fighting for social justice on a range of fronts throughout her career, including working with day laborers and domestic workers, immigrant youth in the juvenile justice system, and women seeking to advance reproductive rights.  She currently works in the NY office of Sanford Heisler, LLP .  She was a figure skater growing up (jumps and everything) but now spends more time unabashedly watching trashy-ish tv.

Nice Nails, Awful Jobs: Part 2

Nail salons may offer a dose of beauty, glamour, and pampering to their customers. However, by and large, nail salons take on a much uglier look once you scrape away the polished facade and examine the experiences of the largely female, immigrant workforce that toils away there. Last year, the New York Times ran a […]

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Bias in the Hiring Process

Last month, I wrote about how gender bias in job descriptions can dissuade women from applying for positions. Not surprisingly, bias infects later stages of the hiring process as well. Numerous studies have demonstrated that gender and racial biases can dramatically affect how employers assess candidates’ application materials, leading employers to favor white, male applicants […]

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Gender Bias in Job Postings

What do the words “ninja,” “rock star,” and “badass” have in common? It turns out that these words, when listed in job descriptions, are major deterrents for women job seekers.  Social science research has called attention to the role of job descriptions in perpetuating gender inequality.  For example, a 2011 study entitled “Evidence That Gendered […]

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Contraception Before the Supreme Court . . . Again!

The Supreme Court recently agreed to hear yet another challenge to the Affordable Care Act’s contraceptive coverage rule, this time from religiously-affiliated non-profit organizations who argue that even the Obama administration’s accommodation for religious institutions infringes on their religious freedom. Under the accommodation, religious non-profits can opt out of providing contraceptive coverage to their employees […]

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