Classic studies of inequality within labor markets have noted that segregation of women and men into certain job categories is one of the primary causes to differences in social attainment. Understanding how men and women come to be differentially distributed in labor markets, and the features of organizations in which men and women come to be located, is essential to understanding sources of inequality, and gaining insights into potential remedies. By integrating arguments from organizational ecology, institutional theory, and organizational demography, we make predictions about the mobility patterns of male and female coaches in women’s intercollegiate athletics. Further, we propose that newly implemented federal legislation that directly addresses issues of inequality, such as Title IX of the Educational Amendments to the Civil Rights Act, has the potential to cause a shift in the relative rates of men and women manager’s mobility patterns. We perform preliminary examination of these predictions using data on the mobility of coaches of two women’s intercollegiate sports: basketball and volleyball in 319 U.S. colleges between 1972 and 1980. We test our hypothesis by examining the hiring rates of men and women head coaches before and after the passing of Title IX.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused unprecedented changes in the lives of many. College students, in particular, have experienced many changes caused by disrupted living environments, limited social support, and shifts in educational experience. These types of changes of pattern in daily occupations and occupational balance (Elkund et al., 2017) have been shown to be closely related to both physical and emotional well-being (Wagman & Hakansson, 2014). This paper seeks to examine the relationship between college students’ occupational balance and satisfaction with participation in activities during the time of COVID-19, and their psychological well-being as manifested by: depression, anxiety, fatigue, and stress. Undergraduate students were recruited through social media advertisements and ResearchMatch. 152 participants (37 male, 109 female, 4 non-binary, 1 transgender, 1 gender-fluid) completed an online survey their well-being during COVID-19. Instruments utilized include the Occupational Balance Questionnaire- Modified (OBQ-M), Meaningful Activity Participation Assessment (MAPA), General Anxiety Disorder 1 Scale (GAD-7), PROMIS Depression Short Form 6a, Perceived Stress Scale-10 (PSS-10), and PROMIS Fatigue Short Form 6a. Correlational analysis examined the relationship between the MAPA and OBQ-M and stress, fatigue, anxiety and depression. The Occupational Balance Questionnaire-11 showed significant negative correlations with measures of anxiety (r=-.403), stress (r= -.525), fatigue (r=-.529), and depression (r=-.465), all p< .01. Of the 152 participants who completed the questionnaire, 73 (48%) reported depression in the at-risk/clinically significant range (T-score>60), 76 (50%) reported fatigue in the at-risk/clinically significant range, and 83 (55%) reported anxiety in the moderate-severe range (score 10-21).

A new approach to leadership development, one which is soft-skill oriented, has become an urgent need in professional development training. Many business organizations such as business schools, corporate universities, specialized training companies, and consultancies are facing challenges around graduates lacking soft skills. In previous generations, it was taught to believe that a variable- personality was unrelated to workforce outcomes; research has proven contrary. Studies show that personality which makes up soft skills is a factor driving managerial success, leadership effectiveness, creativity, job performance, team performance. This project observes and evaluates virtual professional development programs concerning increasing soft-skills awareness among developing and working professionals in Ghana. The objective of this project is to examine participants in enhancing their leadership skills and diversifying managerial styles. Data for this evaluation was obtained through surveying and interviewing participants, which revealed the effectiveness of the programs, future improvements, and insight into the various professionals’ progress. The findings of this project are significant as it sheds light to the importance of adopting soft-skill training for learners across institutions. Results of this project can be utilized by future working and developing professionals to hone their soft skills and help towards building successful outcomes in future development programs.