Browsing by Author "Fleming, Penny"
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Item Open Access Gender Pay Inequality in Professional Sports: How Policy Shapes A Consistent Divide(2021-02) Winslow, EllieThis research analyzes whether there is a role for policy to ensure gender pay equality in professional American sports. In 1972, Title IX of the Education Amendments prohibited discrimination on the basis of sex in federally-funded educational institutions, which granted equal opportunities for women and men to compete in college athletics. A policy like this does not exist past college and professional female athletes continue to be paid less than professional male athletes. This discrepancy is largely due to a history of gender bias and female exclusion from athletic participation. Professional basketball, soccer, and tennis present a gradient of what gender pay inequality is like in American sports. The NBA and WNBA are examples of highly unequal professional sports leagues in terms of viewership, endorsement deals, and in athlete salaries. The U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team has won the last two World Cup Championships, but receives marginally lower earnings; and professional tennis has nearly achieved gender pay equality by providing equal payout at Grand Slam events. To understand where discrepancies lie in the policies that govern the sports leagues, I completed a comparative policy analysis, assessed the media coverage of one major event for each gender across the three sports, and investigated the public conversation surrounding gender parity in professional sports. The results indicate that an overarching policy to eliminate or lessen the gender pay divide in professional sports is not feasible. The market for women versus men’s sports is stark, but individual organizations can make strides toward equality in their own ways.Item Open Access ShotSpotter in Durham, NC: Service or Burden? A Community Sentiment Evaluation(2023-12) Kelly, PilarShotSpotter is a gunshot detection technology that uses audio sensors to locate and notify local police departments of gunfire. In 2023, the Durham Police Department (DPD) conducted a year-long pilot of ShotSpotter. Conversations with 30 residents of ShotSpotter’s three-square mile pilot area revealed nuanced opinions on the role of police officers, both generally and within their role as responders to ShotSpotter alerts. In the context of ShotSpotter specifically, conversations surrounded the ethics of technology and corporate actors in policing, as well as the lack of community engagement in the decision to pilot. Less frequently did these conversations reveal any observed impact on gun crime or police activity after ShotSpotter was implemented. Not one participant believed that ShotSpotter could help reduce gun crime. However, the participants who did report seeing changes in policing since ShotSpotter described those changes in a positive light. Opposition to ShotSpotter was rooted primarily in preconceived mistrust rather than direct experiences. This mistrust was directed toward City Council, ShotSpotter as a corporation, policing as an institution, and concerns about surveillance and storing personal sensitive information. City Council should consider the experiences and perceptions of the citizens most affected by gun violence when deciding how to proceed with ShotSpotter. Meaningful engagement and representation of these community voices is critical in efforts to promote institutional trust, community-police relations, and reductions in violent crime.