TED Community » Mariane Maffeo

More About Me

I'm passionate about

Technology, gender equality, sustainability, cultural parity, arcane knowledge.

An idea worth spreading

Help women fulfill their life's passion and you will help the world heal from all its ills.

Talk to me about

Technology, Global Issues related to gender, class and society, Architecture, Photography, Love and Relationships

People don't know that I'm good at

Intuitive Knowledge

Comments

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• A comment on Conversation: How can we help companies hire more people over the age of 50?

  Nov 23 2012: I really like your third idea. It sounds like a very effective solution. However, a startup company may not have the resources to provide the salaries and perks that older workers need, such as health insurance and retirement plans. But it is worth a thought...

• A comment on Conversation: How can we help companies hire more people over the age of 50?

  Nov 22 2012: My question wasn't specifically about me because I am self-employed, but I know that there are a lot of older workers that cannot find jobs because companies have a predisposition against hiring older workers. One reason is because of health concerns and the cost of insurance, as insurance companies charge more for employees over the age of 40 and even more for women over the age of 40, although men get cancer and other expensive diseases at nearly three times the rate of women. One reason that has been cited for charging more for women than men is maternity, which is pretty rare in women over 40, so I'm not sure why that is cited. Anyway, just questions to consider if one is interested in creating a more just and equitable society.

• A comment on Conversation: How can we help companies hire more people over the age of 50?

  Nov 20 2012: John: I'm not sure that it is an "either/or" proposition. If companies only hire people under the age of 40, they are missing a key component to success: diversity. Also, I don't believe that it is "a fact that older employees are less likely to be proficient at IT than younger employees." Where do you get your information for that assertion? In my experience, age has no effect whatsoever as to whether people are tech-savvy or not. For instance, my college-age daughter constantly asks me for help with her computer, software, network configurations, etc. In the workplace, I have met many young people who do not know how to use technology effectively, especially advanced software like Visio, Adobe Photoshop, Dreamweaver, etc.

• A comment on Conversation: How can we help companies hire more people over the age of 50?

  Nov 20 2012: A country is not a company. And I have never heard of a company that has "lots of perks" for older workers.

• A comment on Conversation: Debate: US Postal Service.

  Nov 19 2012: I think that the U.S. Post Office has does a great job of modernizing its work force and adapting to a changing world in which electronic communications have taken over as the primary method for communication. I think that the requirement that they fund Future Retirees Health Benefits for 75 years into the future is ridiculous and designed to destroy the USPS so that these services can be privatized. If there is enough money to make privatization attractive to investors, then there should be enough money to keep the Postal Service solvent. I do not believe that they should stop serving rural areas, although Saturday service could probably be suspended without causeing undo hardship on consumers or businesses. The USPS is one of the great success stories of our country and we should commit to keeping this quasi-governmental agency operating.