From closing the wage gap to concussions, here’s what you need to know to start your week
Each week, Chicago Ideas will offer up some links to help you start your week. We’ll collect articles and videos to bring you up to speed on specific issues, while offering action items for you to get involved with, too.
What to read: Female Athletes Are Closing The Gender Gap When It Comes To Concussions
Closing the gender gap is an issue in every industry, but athletes face a tougher road to equality. As NPR reports, concussions are on the rise for female athletes and, along with that, is the discovery that scientists don’t know enough about the effects of concussions on women. This is due to scientists favoring the use of male mice when testing head injuries, and early reports show that it takes far longer for a female mouse to recover from a comparable trauma. We are only know learning what the effects of concussions would be on female athletes, but these learnings could begat improvements in how women are treated after sustaining a head injury.
Continued readings:
- Nearing 400, homicides in Chicago continue to outpace last year
- The 150 Greatest Albums Made By Women
- Microsoft signals end of Paint program
What to watch: Abby Wambach on Closing the Wage Gap, Overcoming Substance Abuse and More
Last year at Chicago Ideas Week, two-time Olympic gold medalist and FIFA Women’s World Cup champion Abby Wambach shared her story with us. She discussed the challenges she faced in her sport, and how her experiences pushed her to fight to close the wage gap. As the above article proves, there’s still plenty of work to be done for us to ensure that women are on equal footing, regardless of their industry. Wambach’s perspective remains vital, and it’s worth reflecting on.
What to do: Closed Loop Food Fest
In addition to many of the events we already prepped you for, more have popped up. The Closed Loop Food Fest is an event taking place in Back of the Yards and is an event that advocates for the closing of waste loops. While there will be food trucks, live music and activities for kids, it’ll also offer takeaways on how to become more active and conscious about recycling and conservation.
