The 'other' tax: Societal privilege and the cost of being different
As tax season plods along, Canadians are sitting down to take stock of their finances. But neuroscientist Vivienne Ming says there's a good chance you're paying far more in taxes than what's listed on your T4 forms — especially if you are not a straight white male. Ming joins guest host Laura Lynch to discuss the financial opportunity costs of social difference.
Neuroscientist and big data specialist Vivienne Ming speaks to Laura Lynch about the social 'tax' that comes with being different — in other words, not a straight white male.
By her estimate, women in the U.S. tech industry face a lifetime opportunity cost of up to $300,000, while being a gay man in the U.K. can cost up to $54,000.
We are bad at valuing other people, and we are worse the more different they are than us.- Vivienne Ming
Ming — who is herself transgender — spent three years meticulously calculating the financial opportunity costs of social difference by gathering data from 100 different websites and coding 55,000 variables based on salary, occupation and other factors.