Digital Insights
Does Equal Work Equate Equal Pay in the IT Industry?: A Gender Study View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Joshua Madden, Jing Quan
This research investigates the gender-based wage gap in information technology workers based on the theoretical framework of human capital theory. We adopt both the neoclassical view and the skill weighted view as our theoretical framework. The neoclassical view considers differences in human capital endowments (education and experience) possessed by females and males as the key variable of explaining the wage differentials. The skill weighted view takes into account the differences in skills possessed by both genders. The research is based on a large scale voluntary online survey, focusing on salary, skills, and demographic information of IT workers. We find that after accounting for differentials in both human capital and skills, the wage gap still persists, although the introduction of skill variables narrows the wage inequality. In addition, we find that age discrimination is more severe against females than males. We suggest future research directions for furthering the studies of the persistent wage gaps.
Knowledge Access for Community Empowerment and Governance of Sustainable Cities
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Masoud Ghandehari
Extreme events and conditions are significant deviations from the norm that have profound effects on systems and society. They can take various forms, including climate extremes, health extremes and abnormal environmental conditions and so on. While these conditions may have unwanted consequences, they enable the study of the interactive dynamics of the systems involved. Through number of case studies, I argue how access to information on population experience and exposure is essential for developing inclusive and equitable strategies in risk management and the creation of resilient communities.
Digital Transformation and Responsible Processes: The Role of Designer in Supporting Sustainable Digital Transitions View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Virginia Vignali, Laura Succini, Michele Zannoni, Veronica Pasini
The contemporary global challenges due to the post-pandemic era have highlighted the need to identify new opportunities to address the green and digital transition, faced by current society in order to promote a more sustainable future. In reaction to the European Industrial Strategy, the industrial and design context is undergoing several systemic changes, introducing new professional roles to support these workflows. In this framework, the figure of the transitional designer is developed, who has the potential to activate mediation and facilitation processes in the sustainable and circular perspective of industrial and digital development. Therefore, the concept of sustainability is related to this dual transition, according to a tangible and intangible vision, and concerns individual and collective behaviors that relate to responsible innovation, referring to principles of ethics and inclusion, transparency and collaborative processes. Considering this background, a proactive and integrative design approach can be a method for green and digital transformation to be mutually reinforcing, following a multidisciplinary and collaborative approach among the ecosystem of actors and stakeholders. The objective of the study is to analyze academic and applied research experiences, best practices, and future development scenarios of how the role of the transitional designer can mediate and anticipate integrative and sustainable processes, with reference also to collaboration with new technologies for a democratization of new tools.
