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Things are looking up in the economy. But not everything
Economy

Working the standard 40-hour week isn't enough for many employers who expect employees to spend an extensive amount of time in the office, at the expense of family time.

According to a study in the American Sociological Review, the percentage of American employees working over 50 hours a week has increased from 9 percent (13 percent of men and 3 percent of women) in 1980 to 14 percent in 2000 (19 percent of men and 7 percent of women). The researchers concluded that the growing perception of overwork as a necessity of the business world has helped prevent women from becoming a more active part of the workforce.

"Not only does a greater proportion of workers put in long work hours per week, but long work hours have also become embedded in organizational practices, workplace cultures and beliefs about what it means to be an ideal worker in the contemporary economy," wrote Youngjoo Cha and Kim A. Weeden, the authors of the study.

The study goes on to say that employers now expect their employees to be available 24/7, and that those who work a normal amount of time are looked down on as unproductive or lazy. For many mothers, it isn't always possible to be on call or in the office beyond normal work hours.

"Because mothers, who tend to be the primary parents, feel pressure to be at home and with their children, they sometimes cannot find the extra 10 to 15 hours in their week to keep up with these expectations, nor can they reap the rewards," explained a Time writer in an article about the study.

Currently in the United States, full-time working women earn 77 cents for every dollar men earn, according to Pew Research Center. Though the gender wage gap has narrowed since 1980 (when it was 64 cents to the dollar), it refuses to disappear.
Pew found that 51 percent of mothers say that having a child has made it hard to advance professionally, while only 16 percent of men say the same.

According to Businessweek, "The overwork premium has the effect of especially disadvantaging those who — because they have responsibilities at home, as well as at work — are not able to put in those sorts of hours. Those workers in the U.S. today are still much more likely to be women than men."

In general, employees in the United States are more prone to overwork and have a negative work-life balance than employees of other countries, according to the Center for American Progress. One reason for this, an article published by the center explains, is that employers sometimes assume that fathers remain the primary breadwinner while their wives stay home.
But the reality is the increase in living costs has more women working to help support the family, the center explained, and when two parents are expected to work long hours and be available nights and weekends, it makes it difficult provide all the needs at home.

The problems with overwork go beyond hurting women professionally and taking away from family time. Overworking also damages productivity and takes a toll on the health of the individual, according to the New Yorker.

In response, some companies, such as BambooHR, a human resources start-up in Utah, have streamlined their business techniques so employees work no more than 40 hours a week and don't work at home, a Forbes article pointed out. Goldman Sachs, whose employees need to work longer hours, has encouraged its investment-banking analysts to work around 70 hours a week (rather than 100) and to take Saturdays off, according to the New Yorker.

Email: ehales@deseretnews.com

Its toxic: New study says blue light from tech devices can speed up blindness
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A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers. - photo by Herb Scribner
It turns out checking Twitter or Facebook before bed is bad for your health.

A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers.

That process can lead to age-related macular degeneration, which is a leading cause of blindness in the United States, according to the researchs extract.

Blue light is a common issue for many modern Americans. Blue light is emitted from screens, most notably at night, causing sleep loss, eye strain and a number of other issues.

Dr. Ajith Karunarathne, assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, said our constant exposure to blue light cant be blocked by the lens or cornea.

"It's no secret that blue light harms our vision by damaging the eye's retina. Our experiments explain how this happens, and we hope this leads to therapies that slow macular degeneration, such as a new kind of eye drop, he said.

Macular degeneration is an incurable eye disease that often affects those in their 50s or 60s. It occurs after the death of photoreceptor cells in the retina. Those cells need retinal to sense light and help signal the brain.

The research team found blue light exposure created poisonous chemical molecules that killed photoreceptor cells

"It's toxic. If you shine blue light on retinal, the retinal kills photoreceptor cells as the signaling molecule on the membrane dissolves," said Kasun Ratnayake, a Ph.D. student researcher working in Karunarathne's cellular photo chemistry group. "Photoreceptor cells do not regenerate in the eye. When they're dead, they're dead for good."

However, the researchers found a molecule called alpha-tocopherol, which comes from Vitamin E, can help prevent cell death, according to Futurism.

The researchers plan to review how light from TVs, cellphones and tablet screens affect the eyes as well.

"If you look at the amount of light coming out of your cellphone, it's not great but it seems tolerable," said Dr. John Payton, visiting assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. "Some cellphone companies are adding blue-light filters to the screens, and I think that is a good idea."

Indeed, Apple released a Night Shift mode two years ago to help quell blue lights strain on the eyes, according to The Verge. The screen will dim into a warmer, orange light that will cause less stress on the eyes.