The Gender Income Gap

How do factors (besides gender) affect the gender income gap?

20 min read Ben Hayes

The issue of gender-income disparity is not new - it is nuanced. In order to answer these questions, we will rely on the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, 1979 cohort, data set (abbreviated ‘NLSY79’). To draw strong conclusions, we must evaluate the data set provided - is it accurate, relevant, and useful for drawing statistical conclusions? Once we summarize the data, we can discuss methodology - how should we approach the data, what variables should we consider, what techniques are appropriate? Third, we openly discuss findings about the sampled individuals and attempt to infer relationships about the income difference (if any) between men and women in the larger population based on other factors. Lastly, we end with a discussion of the relevancy and signicance of our findings given the context of the survey data available and the methodology used.

Demystifying the Confusion Matrix

A simple 2x2 table can contain insightful metrics that enhance your decision-making.

7 min read Ben Hayes

Understanding the confusion matrix is an important step in statistics, machine learning, or any other field where predictions or classifications are common. The confusion matrix is a type of contingency table with two dimensions that reveal how well a predictive model performs when the outcomes are known. Additionally, when associated costs of incorrect positive and negative guesses differ, the trade-offs can be optimized. Do you know the difference between Sensitivity, Specificity, Recall, Precision, True Positive Rate, and Positive Predictive Value?