11 Best Writing Blogs to Master the Craft of Creative Writing

11 Best Writing Blogs to Master the Craft of Creative Writing 11 Best Writing Blogs to Master the Craft of Creative Writing Writing blogs are some of the best resources to become a better writer, which lets be real, is the goal of all writers.You already know this:Writing is hard.It’s so difficult, in fact, that there are countless writing tips and resources online dedicated to helping you better understand and improve the craft.We here at Self-Publishing School are even committed to giving you the best advice out there.But we wanted to offer you more by highlighting blogs about writing that contain solid advice for writing.Weve compiled a list of the best writing blogs on the internet for you to learn and grow from.Here are the best writing blogs we’ll cover for you:The Write LifeWriters DigestWrite to DoneThe Write PracticeCount Blogula by Jenna MoreciThe Creative PennTerribleminds by Chuck WendigDaily Writing TipsBetter Novel ProjectWell-StoriedShayla RaquelIf You’re Ready to Start Writing NOW Watch This FirstDon’t waste any more writing time than you already have.Before we get into the meat of which writing blogs are the best and what unique qualities they have to offer, let’s set you down the path for success.You’re here because you want to learn which blogs about writing are the best.We get it. In fact, we already put together a free training guide for you with all the information you need to know.Join Chandler Bolt at his FREE Webinar Training as he reveals the exact tactics and strategies he used to write and publish 6 bestselling books in a row and how he used them to build a 7-figure business in less than 2 years!Spots are limited!Click Here to Save Your SpotBest Writing Blogs for Tips and AdviceIf you’re not quite serious yet about getting your book published yet, we’ve put together a list of the best writing blogs to learn how to write a book from.Let’s dive into exactly what these writing blogs have to offer and why you should be paying close attention to them if you want to improve your writing, start you r book, and publish it on Amazon (or wherever else you want to publish it through)!#1 The Write LifeIf you’ve been searching through for writing blogs long enough, you’re probably already aware of all The Write Life has to offer.This blog about writing is a fantastic resource for writers of all kind.Whether you’re looking to write a book for the first time or jump into the freelance writing community, The Write Life has you covered.They even have tips for blogging and marketing. All the bases are covered!Make sure to check out their helpful writing blog posts and read the comments for extra help from their dedicated community.Click here to check out this writing blog!#2 Writer’s DigestIf you love writing tips by writers, this is one of the top writing blogs to visit.This writing blog is all about uncovering your potential through real, easy-to-follow blog posts that simplify more complicated issues in the writing community.They even host competitions, f eature blog posts by editors, and give you insights to events they host or even attend.If you’re someone who loves to physically join a writing group, you’ll love this writing blog and all it has to offer.Click here to check out this writing blog!#3 Write to DoneThere are a lot of different avenues writers have to be aware of when it comes to building a successful career from their work.And Write to Done gives you just that!Being both a creative writing blog along with covering nonfiction writing, Write to Done teaches you how to master a number of different techniques and habits geared toward helping you succeed in the literary world.You don’t want to miss out on all the writing advice they have to offer along with motivational material to help you keep it up.Click here to check out Write to Done.#4 The Write PracticeThe Write Practice is a massive source of helpful information for writers everywhere. They cover writing blog posts touching on topics revolving around key writing practices, writing exercises, and even writing prompts to get your mind stirring.You won’t be without help with The Write Practice.Not only do they offer free help through their blog posts, but they also have programs, writing contests, and help involving your author platform in general.Click here to check out The Write Practice.#5 Count Blogula by Jenna MoreciJenna Moreci is an Award-Nominated Self-Published Author with two novels on Amazon, in libraries, and on shelves all over the country.Count Blogula is her writing blog where aspiring authors congregate to ask specific writing, marketing, and publishing questions to be answered by this wildly successful Youtuber and Self-Published Author.Moreci is honest (sometimes brutally in the best way), real, and lets all writers know what it truly takes to make a career out of writing.Head on over to her blog if you want to scroll through pages and pages and pages of free writing advice by someone who has been through it all before.Click here to check out Count Blogula by Jenna Moreci.#6 The Creative PennIf your goal is to make writing a job, it’s worth giving The Creative Penn a read.This website has writing blog posts covering topics from genre-specific writing advice to marketing to publishing tips.Joanna Penn is an Award-nominated, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author and she runs The Creative Penn to teach others how to reach her level of success with their books.She has a number of writing-specific books available for purchase along with podcasts, courses, specific tools, and more. This is one of the best blogs about writing to add to your arsenal.Click here to check out The Creative Penn.#7 Terribleminds by Chuck WendigChuck Wendig has a must-acquire-a-taste-for personality. He’s curt, brutal, and gives humor to his writing tips and advice for aspiring authors.His writing blog covers topics ranging from his own personal work and the work of others to hel p you specifically ask for.You’ll never be bored with Wendig’s unique delivery style and real advice.Click here to check out Terribleminds by Chuck Wendig.#8 Daily Writing TipsDaily Writing Tips is exactly as it sounds; they give writing tips for aspiring authors daily.Their advice ranges from writing-specific to motivation to oddities, like words that Shakespeare invented.If you’re someone who wants to improve the craft of writing with very specific tips and tricks, this is the place to frequent. You’ll never want for more help with Daily Writing Tips.Click here to check out Daily Writing Tips.#9 Better Novel ProjectIf you love doodles along with writing tips, this is the site for you.Better Novel Project has a number of different writing blog posts centered around helping you become a better writer.From NaNoWriMo content to blog posts all about genres, writer life, character development, and even writing scene-specific details.It’s easy to get lost the abundance of content available for you on this writing blog so be careful, but get your fill.Click here to check out Better Novel Project.#10 Well-StoriedKristen Kieffer is the author behind Well-Storied, as well as an author of fantasy and writing resources.Not only does she offer great writing advice, but her dedication to helping writers uncover their true abilities is nearly unmatched.You can check out her free courses, listen to the podcast, and even participate in her community chats.Well-Storied has an abundance of help in the writing-world and you’ll be better off by tuning in regularly!Click here to check out Well-Storied.#11 Shayla RaquelShayla Raquel’s writing blog is filled to the brim will knowledge regarding all aspects of writing. From prepping to writing to marketing, she has you covered.As an editor and seasoned writer herself, Shayla works one-on-one with authors nearly every day. She has edited over 300 books and launched Amazon Bestselle rs making her experienced and competent! Click here to check it out Shayla Raquel!All of these writing blogs have something unique to offer that you won’t find any anywhere else. When it comes to learning any craft especially writing it’s important to broaden your search and learn as much as you can from as many talented minds as you can.ARE YOU READY TO BECOME AN AUTHOR ON YOUR OWN?Your writing blog and expertise could be up here one day with some of the best!But you have to commit to taking action and writing your book first.And we’re here to help you on your journey to write, market, and publish your book. But only if you’re serious about making this a reality.

Napster vs RIAA essays

Napster vs RIAA essays Napster is an ongoing controversy on the Web. Napster is a software program that allows anyone to find their favorite music by connecting them to the computers of millions of other users. It is the simplest way to find the MP3s they want, whenever they want, and share them with the world's largest community of music lovers. An estimated 20 million people have used Napster since it came out last year. With all the people who support Napster, there are just as many that want to see it shut down. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is suing Napster for copyright infringement. RIAA found that 87 percent of the songs transferred via Napster are copyrighted. (This case is currently in trial) Musicians such as Dr. Dre and Metallica also sued Napster and now anyone who tries downloading their music will be banned. Dr. Dre was quoted saying, Downloading my music without paying anything is equivalent to stealing food from my kids. Napster has been banned on campus servers at 40 percent of the nation's colleges and universities. Copyrighted material being transferred through Napster has also angered numerous labels. Major labels, such as Warner Music Group, BMG Entertainment, Universal Music Group and Sony Music have sued Napster. They already won one partial victory in the suit, when federal Judge Marilyn Hall Patel rejected Napster's first attempt to have the case dismissed. Now the industry wants more: It is asking the judge for a preliminary injunction against the company, aiming to stop a huge volume of recorded material from being swapped through Napster while the suit goes to trial. Napster allows its users to trade MP3-format music files over the Web, which violates music industry copyrights and robs artists of royalties for the reproductions, according to the RIAA. Napster says it is protected under the "fair use" doctrine, similar to the use of videotape recorder ...

Summar of the Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Summar of the - Essay Example Bi-directional case studies were conducted to assess the impact at back end and at the clients end. This paper does not limit its research to one area, rather it is based on the study of the content assessment, the technology incorporated and the algorithm used towards the data collection techniques. The categorized usage of blogs has seen implementation from the main leads of the industry. One similar example of its categorized usage came about from Microsoft when they implemented MSDN. The core function of this blog was to provide the technical platform of the users and the players associated. This was one of the broad line major approaches undertaken in recent years towards overall expansion of the blogging field. Apart from this other major efforts and seminars conducted towards further expansion of this field came about in 2008, 2009 in the form of TREC conference. The purpose of this entire activity is to bring uniformity and more effective outlook to the usage of blogs. The broad sectoring would allow for a more active and interactive outlook of the blogging entity making it useful towards different clients. Organizing the blogs can help the companies in many ways. This in turn would allow the companies working according to the needs of the clients. Through the desired segmentation and organization of the data and information of the blog websites that are spread all over, the companies and their targeting approach will allow for promoting their ideas at the right place. In other words, it would enable them reaching to the right kind of clients at the right time and in the right manner. This is the core idea proposed by the research paper at hand. Critical decisions can be made with regard to the areas of investment and the areas of clients requirements fulfillment. Undertaking this task would bring along number of

Market research proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Market - Research Proposal Example It has been two years since the company decided to include C&C on the Irish and London Stock Exchange. The initial public offering in May 2004 became an enormous success as numerous investors have been eyeing the company for years. This event has caused significant changes to the company's manufacturing and marketing departments. In addition to that, this public openness of the company to different investors has become the object of a great deal of criticisms when it comes to the company's privacy and the health and safety effects. Logically, beverage industry is one of the riskiest industries when it comes to the health and safety of employees (Paterson, 2001). Fortunately, the company has protected its employees and avoided the risks the different operations in beverage industry entail. Yet, the public stock offering was perceived by some analysts as catalysts in the different risks of the company. Also, the stock offering of the company in the international market has changed the market's perception of C&C from a private company to a mass-oriented enterprise. Hence, this research aims to investigate and analyse the changes the company underwent after its initial public offering. ... Other sources will include interviews and random surveys to the Irish market. This is essential in order to identify the public's perception of the company and what has to be changed to leverage the company's assets (Taylor, 2000). Basically, the population to be investigated comprises of the present market of Bulmers and Magners. This population will include both patronisers and nonpatronisers of Bulmers and Magners. They will be picked randomly and materials will be gathered through normative methods such as surveys and questionnaires. The materials gathered will be investigated, categorised and tabulated in order to be evaluated. The researcher will use statistical and nonstatistical methods to strategically interpret the materials gathered into stable conclusions. Thus, these statistical and nonstatistical methods to be used by the researcher, together with sufficient evidences, will represent the qualitative and quantitative interpretations. Basically, the major conclusions will comprise of the qualitative research. Yet, it has to be supported by quantitative results to further support the findings (Lowry, 1999). Moreover, there is an abundance of literature which may greatly help in evaluating the materials. The aim of this study is to expand that issue by collating and reviewing useful and related literatures. Determining the current position of Bulmers and Magners in Irish and international markets is helpful in drawing an overall picture of the situation, enabling the researcher to provide recommendations on how the current practices in the company can be improved to closely align the market positions of the two C&C brands. Although the research will

Psychology in the development of the society and the human Essay

Psychology in the development of the society and the human civilization - Essay Example Humans move, act and live according to their instincts and these are guiding by the wants and needs of the person but sometimes, the rate of the person's reactions are either accelerated or slowed down according to their psychological judgment. This is actually the influence of motivation to the person's psychological state. Thus, human motivation is the psychological factor that guides the judgment and reaction of the person's towards his or her aim. According to Abraham Maslow, human motivation is usually focused on the benefit that the person can achieved by the acquisition of it and these are actually directed towards the needs and the wants of the person. The benefits are regarded in the psychological aspect as the pleasure achieved by satisfying a specific need. This idea is usually regarded with the term arousal meaning the excitement or sensation acquired through satisfaction. Effects of motivation with regard to the role of arousal can be observed in the daily actions of the people. For example, take a case of a certain teenage boy who is motivated to develop his physique to acquire a muscular build. He endures the challenges enticed with his decision because he is focused on the benefits that his desire will provide on his esteem. Thus, he is motivated to satisfy his needs for personal esteem. Another is a case of a teenage girl who is firmly decided to have a diet. Her case is actually the opposite of the previous case because she is one the side of motivated procrastination to achieved personal satisfaction on the aspect of her personal esteem, which her slim and sexy physique will boost. Accordingly, she her actions will also gratify her safety needs regarding her company because her desires expressed her need for acceptance to her desired social group. In addition, her procrastination will limit her satisfaction regarding food consumption aspect but on the other hand, it will fulfill her physiological need for a healthy lifestyle. Thus, the fulfillment of her psychological needs will give her satisfaction, which is actually the aspect that motivates her. Thus, it is viewed that people's actions and decision are actually products of their desires and needs and the satisfaction that they will achieve by fulfilling that needs that actually motivates them to pursue that their aims. This is a classic example on how outside sources of "social push" actually affects people's personal decisions. Hence, to be able to prove the real essence of the mentioned matter herein, this research shall try to utilize a survey-interview procedure to check on how human individuals actually handle the different elements in the society that makes it certain for their personality to change every now and then. To handle the collection of data for this particular research project of human personality development and social interaction, the researcher decides to utilize the results of a survey report that would be given out to at least 80 participants. On the part of the researcher, the said number of participants is already reasonable enough to make the entire research more accurate in terms of research results. The said 80 students would be

Terrorist organization research and report on Hizballah (Party of God) Paper

Terrorist organization and report on Hizballah (Party of God) - Research Paper Example Specifically, Hezbollah gained its reputation for their bloody battles against invading Israeli occupational forces, during which they employed guerrilla warfare and martyr-based attacks. The Hezbollah began in 1982 as a response to the Israeli invasion of Lebanon. As their name literally translates to â€Å"Party of God†, they had deep religious motivations for starting the organization, though their direct actions may have seemed more political initially. During this time, Lebanon was controlled by Shia politics that had risen since the country’s liberation from France in 1943 (Norton, 2009, 21). At the outset, Israeli forces were welcomed into Lebanon to assist in forcing the Palestinians out of the southern part of the nation. However, when the Palestinians were successfully removed from the area, and Israeli occupation forces refused to leave the country in the following months, the Hezbollah viewed their actions as a direct threat to the Muslim way of life, as well as, an infringement on the Lebanese people independence. The founding members of Hezbollah were offended by the way the Israelis took ownership of their land. They were also not happy a bout the economic oppression the Israelis imposed on the native Shiites. Furthermore, the Hezbollah believed that these offenses required swift and violent action. This initiated the conflict between the nascent group and the Israeli forces, followed quickly by the involvement of other countries. To this end, in the first few years of the group’s infancy, the Hezbollah released a manifesto listing their objectives as the removal of Israeli occupation forces from Lebanon and the overall obliteration of Israeli forces from all nations. In this manifesto, they also described their desire to be free from all Western political or military involvement, as well. They viewed most of the Western nations as being allies to the Zionist movement (Jaber, 1997,

Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency Essay Example for Free

Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency Essay The Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency (EOWA) is an Australian government agency. It is statutory authority located within the portfolio of the Australian Commonwealth Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA). EOWA’s role is to administer the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Act 1999 (Commonwealth)[1] which was passed by the Federal Parliament in November 2012, and through education, assist organisations to achieve equal opportunity for women. Outlined in Part III Section 10 of the Act, the Agency is primarily a regulatory body, whose role is to annually monitor the reporting of eligible Australian organisations on equal opportunity for women in their workplaces. The Agency also has responsibility to undertake research, educational and other programs, and more generally promote the understanding of equal opportunity for women in the workplace within the community. In 2012, the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Act 1999 was replaced by the Workplace Gender Equality Act 2012. The passing of the new legislation means the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency has now been renamed the Workplace Gender Equality Agency. The Employer of Choice for Women (EOCFW) citation is announced annually  since the 2001 inaugural list of 55 organisations. As of 2012, the list had grown to 125 organisations.[2] Gender pay gap in Australia From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Main article: Gender pay gap Gender pay gap in Australia refers to the difference between the average female and average male salary. It is calculated on the average weekly ordinary time earnings for full-time employees published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The gender pay gap excludes part-time, casual earnings and overtime payments.[1] Australia has a persistent gender pay gap. Since 1990, the gender pay gap remained within a narrow range of between 15 and 18%.[2] In May 2013, the Australian gender pay gap was 17.5%.[3] Studies A 2009 report by the National Center for Social and Economic Modelling (NATSEM) prepared for the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairsstated: Using robust microeconomic modelling techniques, based on a comprehensive and critical evaluation of several methodologies, we found that simply being a woman is the major contributing factor to the gap in Australia, accounting for 60 per cent of the difference between women’s and men’s earnings, a finding which reflects other Australian research in this area. Indeed, the results showed that if the effects of being a woman were removed, the average wage of an Australian woman would increase by $1.87 per hour, equating to an additional $65 per week or $3,394 annually, based on a 35 hour week. (The second most important factor in explaining the pay gap was industrial segregation.)[2] Data collected by NATSEM for the Catalyst Australia publication, Equality Speaks,[4] found that the gap between the average wealth of men and women also varies according to the occupations and industries in which they are engaged. According to industry, the largest gap in personal wealth between men and women is within the ï ¬ nance and insurance sector ($330 600 versus $88 500) where many women work. By contrast, there exists only a small differential in the construction industry ($63 500 versus $62 700) where few women work. In other industries where many women work, there are large wealth gaps: for example, in health and community services ($174 000 versus  $68 000) and retail trade ($84 000 versus $34 000). Turning from industry to occupation, other signiï ¬ cant disparities are revealed. The greatest disparity between the average wealth of men and women is amongst elementary clerical, sales and service workers ($110 400 versus $19 900). Jobs that fall within this category include sales assistants, security guards and laundry workers. The smallest relative wealth gap can be seen in advanced clerical and service workers ($91 600 versus $83 500). Jobs in this occupational category include book-keepers, personal assistants and secretaries. Ian Watson of Macquarie University also examined the gender pay according to occupation, specifically the gap among full-time managers in Australia over the period 2001-2008. He found that between 65 and 90% of this earnings differential could not be explained by a large range of demographic and labor market variables. Watson notes that a major part of the earnings gap is simply due to women managers being female. He also found that despite the characteristics of male and female managers being remarkably similar, their earnings are very different, suggesting that discrimination plays an important role in this outcome.[5] Economist Paul Miller explored the degree to which the Australian gender pay gap differs across the wage distribution and found that the gender pay gap was much greater among high wage earners than among low wage earners. At the top of the wage distribution (95th quantile) the pay gap reached 25% or more while at the bottom the pay gap was around 10%. He concluded that the notion of a ‘glass ceiling, whereby women struggle to advance beyond some point in the more typical career path, is certainly prevalent in the Australian labour market.[6] In a similar study, Hiao Joo Kee found that the gender pay gap increased at higher levels of the wage distribution in the private sector – leading to her conclusion that a glass ceiling existed there – but that the gap in the public sector was relatively constant over all percentiles. Moreover, Kee found that the acceleration of the pay gap across the wage distribution does not vanish even after extensive controls. She concludes that the gender pay gap in both sectors was a result of differences in returns to the same characteristics between men and women.[7] Trends in the Australian labor force[edit] In 2010 Australian females represented 50.2% of the Australian population and  45.3% of the workforce.[8] Trends within the Australian labour force have female workforce participants increasingly more educated than their male counterparts with more females completing year 12 and going on to university than males in 2008 females made up 55 per cent of students enrolled in Australian tertiary institutions.[9] In 2010 Finance was the industry with the widest gender pay gap at 32.2%, followed by Health Care and Social Assistance at 27.2% and Mining at 22.7%.[10] Cases and legislation Until 1969, legislation allowed employers to pay women a minimum rate of pay that was 25 per cent less than male employees doing the same or similar work. In 1969 the first federal pay case[11] established the principle of equal pay for equal work. The 1969 case established a principle that affected 18 per cent of women workers, mostly teachers and nurses.[12] In 1972, the second federal equal pay case widened the 1969 principle to equal pay for work of equal value in line with International Labour Organisations Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951 (100).[13] This meant that women were awarded the same rate of pay as men no matter what work they were doing, as long as it was assessed as comparable in value. New South Wales (NSW) was the first Australian industrial jurisdiction to legislate for equal pay in the Female Rates (Amendment) Act in 1958.[14] In 2000, the NSW Industrial Relations Commission created Australia’s first Equal Remuneration Principle (ERP). The principle provides an avenue for unions to seek redress where they believe work has been undervalued on a gender basis. In 2002, the Full Bench of the NSW Industrial Relations Commission fully ratified the Crown Employees (Librarians, Library Assistants, Library Technicians and Archivists) Award 2002, which incorporated pay increases of up to 26%. The Commonwealth Affirmative Action (Equal Employment Opportunity for Women) Act 1986 was enacted to improve equity in the Australian workforce and establish the Affirmative Action Agency. It aimed to promote equal opportunity for women in employment and eliminate discrimination by the employer against women. In 1999 the agency was changed to the Equal Opportunity in the Workplace Agency to administer the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Act 1999 (Commonwealth).[15] In 2009 an Australian House of Representatives Pay Equity Report called on the Commonwealth Government to elevate pay equity to  be a clear objective of modern awards and recommended the establishment of a federal Pay Equity Unit and the conducting of mandatory pay equity audits for companies with 100 employees or more.[16] Western Australia Western Australia has the largest gender pay gap of any state or territory in Australia. As of August 2010 it was 24 per cent, representing a gap between average weekly ordinary time male and female earnings.[17] Research has failed to adequately account for all the factors that underpin Western Australia’s relatively large gender pay gap and thus explain why its gender pay gap is higher than the rest of Australia, which was 17 per cent in August 2010.[18] A specialist Pay Equity Unit in Western Australian was established in 2006 to address the States gender pay gap. The Western Australian Pay Equity team in the Department of Commerce developed the WA Pay Equity Audit Tool, a resource for employers to use in assessing workforce data and assist in the development of strategies to improve pay equity and female career progression in the workplace. The Tool was adopted nationally by the Equal Opportunity in the Workplace Agency.[19] Income and wealth inequality, how is Australia faring? Australians like to think of themselves as egalitarian, and for much of our history we believed our income and wealth was spread around evenly. The Conversation is running a series, Class in Australia, to identify, illuminate and debate its many manifestations. Here, Peter Whiteford investigates what has happened to income and wealth inequality in Australia in recent times. Australians like to think of themselves as egalitarian, and for much of our history we believed our income and wealth was spread around evenly. For many years, the world also shared that view. As early as the 1880s, visitors  remarked on Australia’s relatively equal distribution of wealth, the lack of visible poverty, the country’s generally comfortable incomes and its relatively few millionaires. As late as 1967, prime minister Harold Holt could say that he knew of no other free country where â€Å"what is produced by the community is more fairly and evenly distributed among the community† than it was in Australia. From the 1980s onwards, however, this view of Australia came under scrutiny. As historian John Hirst wrote: ‘Egalitarianism – see under myths’: so runs the index entry in a standard sociological text on Australian society. The most common measure of inequality is the Gini coefficient, which varies between zero and one. If everyone had exactly the same income then it would be zero (perfect equality). If one household had all the income then it would be one (complete inequality). The most recent figures for OECD countries, from around 2010, show that Australia is the 11th most unequalof the 34 OECD members. Australia has only ever briefly been below the OECD average Gini coefficient: just as the mining boom started in 2003. Trends in income inequality Working out what has happened to inequality in Australia over the long term is complex. While there is disagreement about overall trends, according to economists Andrew Leigh and Tony Atkinson, inequality declined between the 1950s and the late 1970s, with Peter Saunders identifying an increase in the 1980s. These long-run estimates are usually based either on wage trends or income tax data, which means that findings apply to individuals rather than households. Household incomes after benefits and taxes, however, are generally regarded as a better measure of economic resources. Since the early 1980s, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has conducted regular high-quality surveys of household incomes. The most recent survey covers the 2011-12 year. Research by economists David Johnson and Roger Wilkins found that the Gini coefficient increased from around 0.27 in 1981–82 to around 0.30 in 1997-98. Subsequently, the official ABS income statistics show that the Gini coefficient increased to 0.34 just before the global financial crisis in 2008, then fell to 0.32 in 2011-12. The ABS points out that changes from year to year are sometimes not large enough to be statistically significant. Yet the cumulative picture is of an upward trend, punctuated with periods in which inequality has fallen. Whether the most recent fall continues or is reversed remains to be seen. Trends in wealth inequality For many years, statistics on the distribution of wealth were even sparser than comprehensive statistics on the distribution of income. The improvements in income statistics achieved by the ABS were more recently matched by the collection of information on wealth – or more precisely on â€Å"net worth† (assets minus liabilities). According to the ABS, the wealthiest 20% of Australian households, with an average net worth of A$2.2 million per household in 2011-12, accounted for 61% of total household net worth. The poorest 20% of households accounted for 1% of total household net worth, and had an average net worth of $31,000 per household. This means that the wealthiest 20% of Australian households had net worth that was 68 times as high as the least wealthy 20%. In contrast, the 20% of Australian households with the highest disposable income were about five times better off than the poorest 20%. So, it seems pretty clear that wealth is much more unequally distributed in Australia than income. Or is it? This depends on how you look at it. The most recent Credit Suisse Global Wealth Report, prepared by Anthony Shorrocks, one of the most highly respected world experts on wealth distribution, estimates that the distribution of wealth in Australia is the second least unequal (after Japan) of 27 major countries and the 12th least unequal of 174 countries. It is also notable that the Credit Suisse report finds that Australia has the second highest average level of wealth in the world and the highest median wealth. The ABS survey – used by Credit Suisse – also presents two ways of looking at the distribution of wealth: first, by ranking households simply by the amount of wealth they have; second, by ranking households by how much incom e they have. When the ABS ranks households by their incomes, the 20% with the lowest incomes have an average net worth of around $437,000, while the 20% with the highest incomes have about $1.3 million in net worth. This means that the poorest one-fifth of households, measured by income, hold 12% of net wealth, while the richest  one-fifth hold 36%, a ratio of about 3 to 1. These figures suggest that wealth is actually more equally distributed than income when the joint distribution of income and wealth is used which is a more comprehensive measure of total household resources. These two approaches yield remarkably different pictures of wealth distribution. This reflects the fact that people accumulate wealth over the course of their life. Young people starting off in their first job generally don’t have much in the way of wealth, but as they grow older they will purchase homes – which have been the great wealth â€Å"equaliser† in Australia – and accumulate superannuation and other savings. As a result, older people have much higher average wealth than younger people, but older people generally have lower incomes than younger people. So, why did we think that income was equally shared in Australia if it wasn’t? The answer is that most of the earlier studies were based on a limited income measure: usually wages before tax and usually full-time wagesfor men. In the past, Australia’s wage-fixing system compressed the wage distribution. As late as 1999, Australia had the highest minimum wage relative to the median in the OECD. If you are a full-time employed male wage earner in Australia, then you have a lower level of income inequality than in Denmark, otherwise one of the lowest inequality countries. The most important source of inequality in Australia is whether you have a job or not. So the pillars of egalitarianism in Australia were high wages, high home ownership and low unemployment. If we want to regain this position, we need to ensure that unemployment remains low and that low-income earners are able to buy into affordable housing. References 1. Jump up^ Australian Government. Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Act 1999. Retrieved 2013-09-26. 2. Jump up^ Employers compete to be first choice for women. Employer of Choice for Women (EOCFW). The Workplace Gender Equality Agency. 13 Mar 2012. Retrieved 3 September 2013. 2. ^Changes to the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Act reflect a shift in focus. |http://www.dibbsbarker.com/publication/Changes_to_the_Equal_Opportunity_for_Women_in_the_Workplace_Act_reflect_a_shift_in_focus.aspx DibbsBarker. 13 February 2013. 1. Jump up^ Department of Commerce. Frequently asked questions about pay equity. Retrieved on May 06, 2011. 2. ^ Jump up to:a b National Centre for Social and Economic Modelling. The impact of a sustained gender wage gap on the economy. Report to the Office for Women, Department of Families, Community Services, Housing and Indigenous Affairs, 2009, p. v-vi. 3. Jump up^ Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency. 6302.0 Average Weekly Earnings, Australia, May 2013. Australian Government, 2013. 4. Jump up^ Catalyst Australia, Equality Speaks Chapter 10, 2009 5. Jump up^ Watson, Ian (2010). Decomposing the Gender Pay Gap in the Australian Managerial Labour Market. Australian Journal of Labour Economics, Vol. 13, No. 1, pp. 49-79. 6. Jump up^ Miller, Paul W. (2005). The Role of Gender among Low-Paid and High-Paid Workers.Australian Economic Review, Vol. 38, No. 4, pp. 405-417, quote p. 413-414. 7. Jump up^ Kee, Hiao Joo (2006). Glass Ceiling or Sticky Floor? Expl oring the Australian Gender Pay Gap. The Economic Record, Vol. 82, No. 259, pp. 408-427. 8. Jump up^ Toohey, Tim, David Colosimo Andrew Boak (2009). Australia’s Hidden Resource: The Economic Case for Increasing Female Participation. Melbourne: Goldman Sachs JBWere Investment Research, p. 3. 9. Jump up^ Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations. Student 2009 Full Year: Selected Higher Education Statistics. 10. Jump up^ Australian Bureau of Statistics, Average Weekly Earnings. Catalogue 6302.0, Time Series Tables 10A 10D. 11. Jump up^ Equal Pay Case 1969 (1969) Volume 127 Commonwealth Arbitration Reports p. 1142. 12. Jump up^ Brenda Finlayson. Equal Pay – We’ve Come A long Way. Workers Online, Issue No 17, 11 June 1999. 13. Jump up^ C100 Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951. 14. Jump up^ NSW Industrial Relations. A history of pay equity. 15. Jump up^ Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency. Overview of the Act. 16. Jump up^ Parliament of Australia, House of Representatives. Inquiry into pay equity and associated issues related to increasing female participation in the workforce. 17. Jump up^ Australian Bureau of Statistics. Labour Force. 6202.0, Table 8, November 2010 (trend data) 18. Jump up^ Department of Commerce. Frequently asked questions about pay equity. 19. Jump up^ Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency. The Pay Equity Audit Tool.