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Young adults from underserved racial/ethnic groups are critically needed as unrelated hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) donors, yet they are more likely than other groups to opt out of donation after having matched a patient. Understanding which factors are most strongly associated with opting out among young underserved racial/ ethnic registered donors compared with their White counterparts will provide the basis for specific interventions to improve donor retention. We sought to determine the key, modifiable psychosocial, registry-related, and donation-related characteristics that are uniquely associated with opting out across 5 key racial/ethnic groups of young HSC donor registry members who had been contacted as a potential match for a patient. This study examines data from a large cross-sectional survey of young (age 18 to 30) registry members shortly after they preliminarily matched a patient (CT-stage) and continued toward or opted out of donation (CT-C and CT-NI), stratified by racial/ethnic group and sex. We assessed psychosocial, registry-related, and donation-related characteristics for all participants. We used chi-squared and F tests to assess differences between racial/ethnic groups. A separate logistic regression analysis for each racial/ethnic group was conducted to quantify adjusted associations between each variable and opting out. Then, we compared these associations across the racial/ethnic groups by evaluating the interaction effect between each variable and racial/ethnic group, with the same outcome (CT-C versus CT-NI) in question. Nine hundred thirty-five participants were surveyed, including 284 White, 165 Hispanic, 191 Black, 192 Asian/Pacific Islander, and 103 Multiracial/multiethnic participants. There were significant differences across racial/ethnic groups in values/goals, religious objections to donation, HSC-related medical mistrust, and parental involvement in donation decisions. Adjusted logistic regression subgroup analyses indicated that ambivalence was strongly associated with opting out across all racial/ethnic groups. Greater focus on intrinsic life goals (e.g., raising a family, becoming a community leader, influencing social values) was associated with opting out in the Multiracial/multiethnic, Hispanic, and Asian/Pacific Islander groups. Healthcare mistrust and insufficient registry contact was a significant factor for Hispanic participants. Protective factors against opting out included remembering joining the registry (Black participants), and parental support for donation decision (Asian/Pacific Islander participants). The performance of each logistic regression model was strong, with area-under-the curve ≥.88, CT-stage outcome classification accuracy ≥89%, and good fit between expected and observed opt-out probabilities. In the analysis across different racial/ethnic groups, the only significant interaction was race/ethnicity by whether more contact with the registry would have changed the decision at CT-stage; this variable was significant only for the Hispanic group. In the within-group analysis for Hispanic participants, the "more registry contact" variable was strongly associated with opting out (odds ratio 5.8, P = .03). Consistent with a growing body of HSC donor research, ambivalence was a key factor associated with opting-out for all racial/ethnic groups. Other key variables were differentially associated with opting-out depending on racial/ethnic group. Our study highlights key variables that registries should focus on as they develop targeted and tailored strategies to enhance commitment and reduce attrition of potential donors., (Copyright © 2024 The American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Since 2002, an average of 17.5% of registered dietitian nutritionists (RDNs) have reported being out of the paid dietetics workforce, and approximately half of those report intention to return. With the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics' focus on expanding workforce demand and capacity, understanding why and how dietitians opt in and out of the dietetics workforce may provide insights into how to potentially reduce the number of career breaks or expedite and enhance the reentry process., Objective: To explore the lived experiences and perspectives of dietitians who were taking (with intention to return) or had taken a career break and returned to the paid dietetics' workforce., Design: A qualitative study with semistructured interviews was conducted., Participants/setting: Participants (n = 22) were recruited through purposive sampling over social media. They were required to be credentialed as RDNs, reside in the United States, and have either previously or currently (with intent to return) taken a break from the dietetics workforce. Interviews were conducted using Zoom videoconferencing technology during September 2021., Data Analysis: Data were analyzed using a Coding Reliability Thematic Analysis approach., Results: The data are summarized in four themes: (1) motivations to leave and return, (2) staying connected with dietetics, (3) preparing to return and returning to the dietetics workforce, and (4) desired resources for career breaks and reentry., Conclusions: Understanding the experiences of dietitians who take career breaks may help inform career reentry and help the profession meet the current and future workforce demand., (Copyright © 2024 Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

In today's labor market, the majority of individuals experience a lapse in employment at some point in their careers, most commonly due to unemployment from job loss or leaving work to care for family or children. Existing scholarship has studied how unemployment affects subsequent career outcomes, but the consequences of temporarily "opting out" of work to care for family are relatively unknown. In this article, I ask: how do "opt out" parents fare when they re-enter the labor market? I argue that opting out signals a violation of ideal worker norms to employers--norms that expect employees to be highly dedicated to work-- and that this signal is distinct from two other types of résumé signals: signals produced by unemployment due to job loss and the signal of motherhood or fatherhood. Using an original survey experiment and a large-scale audit study, I test the relative strength of these three résumé signals. I find that mothers and fathers who temporarily opted out of work to care for family fared significantly worse in terms of hiring prospects, relative to applicants who experienced unemployment due to job loss and compared to continuously employed mothers and fathers. I examine variation in these signals' effects across local labor markets, and I find that within competitive markets, penalties emerged for continuously employed mothers and became even greater for opt out fathers. This research provides a causal test of the micro and macro-level demand-side processes that disadvantage parents who leave work to care for family. This is important because when opt out applicants are prevented from re-entering the labor market, employers reinforce standards that exclude parents from full participation in work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After decades of growth, women's labor force participation stagnated in the 2000s, prompting widespread interest in work-family balance and opting out. However, much of the research and media attention is limited to small samples of women in managerial and professional occupations. Using data from the 2009 American Community Survey, this article examines mothers' labor force participation and work hours across 92 occupations to assess whether mothers in nonmanagerial and nonprofessional occupations exhibit similar work patterns. I find that mothers in managerial and professional occupations are the least likely to remain out of the labor force but most likely to work reduced hours. The results indicate that there is significant occupational variation in women's work-family strategies, and these comparisons provide insight into the differential structures of disadvantage that encourage different work-family outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Limited research on professional women's labour force re-entry after a career break (so-called 'opting out') finds that women redirect away from former careers. Little is known about why this occurs. Our study, based on in-depth interviews with 54 at-home mothers, extends prior research to address this question. We find that among women who intended to return to work (who constitute the majority), most planned to pursue alternative careers, typically in traditionally female-dominated professions or were uncertain about their career direction; few planned to return to their former employers. The reasons for this redirection were women's negative experiences in family inflexible occupations, skill depreciation and perceived age discrimination. Equally or more important, however, was their adaptation to new constraints and opportunities at home (such as increased involvement in mothering and community work), which engendered an aspirational shift towards new, care-oriented professions that were lower paid and had lower status. We discuss the policy implications of these findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the past several decades, the number of women entering the workforce and becoming entrepreneurs has increased dramatically (Mattis, 2004). The majority of women are finding success in the middle and lower tiers of management. Issues arise when these small successes are publicized, which reinforces the illusion that gender inequality is no longer a problem (Larsen, n. d.). The problem is that even though women are invading the workforce, they still lag behind men as far as representation in the top tiers of the American workforce. As a result, women often choose to start their own business due to the need for flexibility, the dissatisfaction with working for someone else, or to create a balance between their work and family lives (DeMartino & Barbota, 2003). In fact, in the United States, women start and own more than one quarter of all non-farm US businesses (SBA, 2006). Furthermore, women entrepreneurs are found in all countries and contribute more and more to the global economy (Bosma & Harding, 2006). However, the glass ceiling is a real obstacle that many women face in the workplace, although it may be self-inflicted, may be reinforced because of women opting out, may be male dominance imposed, or may just be the nature of our sexes, or the "Chilling Effect". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recent adoption by the US Federal Trade Commission of the national Do-Not-Call Registry prohibiting most telemarketers from contacting individuals once their number is added to the listing is a threat to the US domestic telemarketing industry. Analysis of US federal law suggests that the national registry is likely an unconstitutional exercise of administrative power. To be legal, governmental prior restraints on commercial speech must pass the four-part Central Hudson test adopted by the US Supreme Court. The Do-Not-Call Registry fails parts three and four of the test and probably part two as well. There is an insufficient fit between the stated governmental purpose of the regulation and its operation. Moreover, balancing the benefits from the registry against the harm it inflicts further militates against its constitutionality. International and public relations implications are explored and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]