Blog 13: Gender Inequality: Births of Boys Still Outpace Girls in Hanoi

      According to many fortune tellers, if a family has a baby boy in the year of the dragon, they will be luckier and more prosperous.  So because of this many families in Vietnam are making extra efforts to have "dragon babies" in 2012.  According to the Hanoi Population and Family Planning Department, the gender inequality among newborn babies is rising because many women are planning for baby boys. According to the statistics of the Hanoi Department of Health, 15 out of the 29 districts rates have risen from 115 boys for 100 girls to 155 boys for 100 girls in the first 3 months of this year. If gender inequality among newborns is not curbed soon, the city and the country will face the risk of men not being able to find wives, also gender violence and human trafficking. Many people don't realize the problem that gender inequality is rising or the consequences, so they don't stop.   This information should be known to families and doctors and prenatal gender selection should be a crime.
      I really don't believe that whole myth of families being more prosperous from having a baby boy in a certain year.  But that is me of course and these women seem to really go by it.  Ive noticed that in many developing countries communication of knowledge about issues is bad.  If there is a problem, no one seems to really know whats going on.  I agree with her about prenatal gender selection, something like that should not be allowed.  Whether you have a boy or a girl, there should be no difference in how much you love and care for them.  The surprise is gone, and it just seems wrong to me.  I know living in the U.S. is different especially in many countries where men are the high and mighty and women worth nothing, but hopefully that will change.  Gender inequality should be dropping not rising.

http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v6/newsworld.php?id=660100

Blog 12: India, China see inequality rise with high growth: IMF

          An International Monetary Fund (IMF) official said that India and China are making pathways to end poverty and show high growth but at the same time they have also seen inequality rising.  They need growth but the inequalities need attention.  They see promising signs in China, but more things need to be done. "Based on recent IMF research,  they see that a more equitable distribution of income can help promote economic and financial stability, and more lasting growth."  "Brazil, for example, reduced inequality significantly from the early 1990s through a focused and efficient set of transfer programs." If many other countries did that, they would see longer periods of high growth.  The IMF director said that they need financial systems that support, not destabilize, the economy. They say they need to improve competitiveness and have better functioning labor markets so that they can generate more jobs.  "Recent initiatives in Ireland are a good example including targeted training as well as incentives for workers to take-up job opportunities, and for employers to take-on people who are unemployed."  Changes are needed.
         This just comes to show once again it is not only the United States that is having this major issue.  This seems to be the biggest inequality issue today, because it is everywhere.  People need jobs everywhere and with jobs comes less income inequality.  Employers can make changes as they did in Ireland with the targeted training.  Some places people just don't want to work , and we need people working. This gap seems to be getting wider and wider and we keep talking about it as an issue but i still don't see what is being done to fix it, here or in other countries.

http://profit.ndtv.com/News/Article/india-china-see-inequality-rise-with-high-growth-imf-301847

Blog 11: 'Inequality in classrooms hinders child learning’

      According to this paper in India, the built- in inequality in the classrooms are stopping the children from learning as well as they should be. The situation is the same in Pakistan as well.  Dr. Banerji, the director of Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) in Centre, India, reported that the composition in the rural classrooms were complex in terms of students’ age, language and learning levels, resulting in huge implications for instruction and equity. The students learning levels were shown to be far below the desired level. In many classrooms the textbook levels were too difficult for most students and the classrooms were unfriendly. Dr Banerji said, “big change can happen if governments make strategic moves based on evidence and reality” She said there was a need for India and Pakistan to move from ensuring schooling to guaranteeing learning for all children.  "ANP vice-president Bushra Gohar said children should be more important to any government and stressed the need to invest more in education from country’s own resources instead of looking toward the World Bank and other donor agencies."  She also said that "political will" will bring about the change that is needed.  They need to improve village schools as well as private schools. To provide equal opportunities so that children of all segments of the society to expect impact.
     There is inequality everywhere.  Is sad to see that inequality is hindering the education of children in some countries.  Many religions and cultures have there views of men and women and some places even only allow boys to attend school because the girls are meant to stay at home. But these classrooms are so diverse that many children aren't understanding anything that they are being taught. Sadly the United States has that somewhat as well in schools.  Yes we have the same age students and different level classrooms but with the new No Child Left Behind, many children are being pushed to the next grade level when they aren't ready.  You need to make sure the children are understanding what they are taught, because our children are the future. Equality matters anywhere and everywhere.

 http://dawn.com/2012/04/05/inequality-in-classrooms-hinders-child-learning/

Blog 10: Study: Income inequality growing faster in Israel than in other developed nations

      According to the Bank of Israel, inequality is growing faster in Israel than any other developing country. Also the salary gaps between the educated and uneducated has widened, whereas the salary gap between men and women has narrowed.  There reasons for this growth is lack of government effort to fix the gaps and less participation in the workforce. Inequality of net income by ethnicity is drastic as well.  The rates have been growing faster since 1995.  They believe one of the reasons behind this is the heterogeneous nature of Israel's population. For example they have a high birth rate and low rates of participation in the work force, making a lower GDP per capita and income inequality. In the 1990's 25% of every age group continued to higher education, it has grown to 48% in the last few years. The demand for high educated workers is higher than the actual amount of educated people entering the work force. "According to the Bank of Israel, in order to create a new supply of educated workers, it is necessary to invest in reinforcement of core curriculum studies at an early age within the Arab, ultra-orthodox, and periphery populations, groups that traditionally have a low matriculation rate."
             Its shocking to know that Israel's inequality is growing faster than the United States. I know we probably have more inequality but ours isn't growing as much. It's growing everywhere.  Considering their family structure and religion, its surprising that there gap between men and women's salaries is narrowing. Many families need their children to work to help with financial reasons so many aren't getting the education they need to get better jobs and join the work force as they need. This just shows you that the United States is not the only places that is having these major problems.

http://www.haaretz.com/business/study-income-inequality-growing-faster-in-israel-than-in-other-developed-nations-1.421277

Blog 9: Inequality Undermines Democracy

         Even though the gap between the rich and the poor has grown tremendously over the past few decades, Americans don't seemed to be too concerned about it. Even the government doesn't seem to care too much, the United States does less than other rich countries to transfer income from the rich to the poor. But lately it seems to be getting noticed more, even in Obama's speech he mentioned it saying the middle class has shrunk.  Before, only about 17% of Americans thought it was important the government to fix the inequality gap.  That has risen to about 29%. 49% said there was not much opportunity in the US. From 1993 to 2010, the incomes of the richest 1% has increased by 58% and shows no sign of reversing  Globalization and technological change puts a big damper on the less educated workers who fight against machines and foreign labor. When the stock market plummeted, the rich lost money but then eventually gained it back. Most Americans have lost faith in their ability to get ahead. many believe capitalism cant work without inequality, so we've accepted it. Because the United Sates growth was so fast over a period of time people  the best fuel, but looking at it over a long period of time its not. Inequality may be obstructing Americans shot at a better life. "Progress still happens, but there is less of it. Two-thirds of American families — including four of five in the poorest fifth of the population — earn more than their parents did 30 years earlier. But they don’t advance much. Four out of 10 children whose family is in the bottom fifth will end up there as adults. Only 6 percent of them will rise to the top fifth."Compared to other countries the United States has some of the highest inequality and lowest mobility int he industrial world.  The cost of college makes it harder for middle and low income families to progress. Inequality is also fueling geographical segregation.  Homes of the rich and the poor are growing farther apart and people look for mates in their same range and the marriages of the less educated seem to fail more. The government must first address theses issues before anything can be done about it. 
         I wish i understood politics more, but i really don't like it.  But from my stand point, everything that was talked about in this i see.  My parents both come from middle class families and we are i would guess middle class, if there is one anymore, but even though my parents make decent money (enough to get by) i couldn't get any assistance from the government for college because they make too much, so i am having to borrow money, so ill be in major debt when i graduate.  All i see is the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer.  And the government seems to be ignoring it. There are more homeless young adults than ever.  Even though technology is a great thing, its taking over a lot of peoples jobs and the opportunities for other jobs aren't there.  I think if we looked at what some of the other countries were doing it may help us, but i don't know politics that well.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/21/business/economy/tolerance-for-income-gap-may-be-ebbing-economic-scene.html

Blog 8: Privilege Has Its Rewards — How Longevity Will Become The New Class Inequality

          From the way this world is it seems to be noticed that the rich live longer than anyone else.  Which of course with more money you can afford the best medical care and have better health in general.  The poor have less resources, better education and such which leads to an improved quality of life.  So there is a big longevity gap.  Education is a factor, in a study it been shown the better educated tend to live longer by 9%.  Higher educated people tend to have lower blood pressure as well to help with their cardiovascular health.  Intelligence is another factor, a trait among many billionaires is their parent have a high aptitude for math.  Social Status is another factor. Social isolation decreases longevity meaning friends and family extend your lifetime.  A study showed the noble prize winners tend to live about 2 yrs longer.  Hormones, safety, and activity, are other factors as well.  The rich tend to eat better cause they can afford healthier food. The rich have the advantage.  Putting all those factors together prove that the rich live longer.  Income inequality is the major issue that is being talked about right now, but the longevity gap is an issue that ain't far behind.
        The rich def have it better and easier.  Of course because they have the money they have access to better medical care.  They can have a doctor at their house in no time.  Also healthier food is more expensive so a lot of people stick with the cheaper stuff, but the rich can afford it and afford someone to coo kit a better way.  Some of the other factors are a little shocking to know contribute to it, but the studies show it.  The bigger the gap gets the more it changes.   As long as income inequality is the top thing being talked about right now this problem isn't really being noticed.

 http://singularityhub.com/2012/03/15/privilege-has-its-rewards-%E2%80%94-how-longevity-will-become-the-new-class-inequality/

Blog 7: Income Inequality Goes to School

         On top of everything that income inequality affects, it is starting to show an affect in schools.  Many people put blame on the teachers for failing students, but the real culprit is the growing gap between the rich and the poor. “As the children of the rich do better in school, and those who do better in school are more likely to become rich, we risk producing an even more unequal and economically polarized society,” wrote Sean Reardon, a Stanford University professor of education and sociology. Race to the Top was on organization unveiled by Obama who gives awards to states who improve school performance. According to this a teacher's value can be measured statistically so again its saying that if the kids get bad grades or they don't improve the its the teachers fault. Flaws have been given to this because students could be having trouble at home, poverty, language ability, and parental educational levels could be issues as well.  “The gap between the rich and the poor has widened significantly, particularly among families with children. Not only do the poor have less money than they did before, they have fewer social support systems as well.”  The education of the parents is very important.  Parents with money tend to be better educated, they have the time and the money to spend with their children and help them.  But they don't want to talk to these issues because if the teacher is to blame then class size, inadequate funding, unsafe buildings, filthy bathrooms, turmoil in overcrowded homes, unemployed parents, disruptive classmates and school or class transfers can all be ignored. All they do is tell the teachers to fix it and go on with their lives.
         This is exactly one of the reasons why I decided not to become a teacher. They get blamed for things that is always not their fault as long as the government is getting their way and things look like they are working. I have only worked with kids in a classroom for a short period, but i can see exactly what these researchers are saying when it comes to why kids fail and the family income.  Some of the kids who weren't doing as well either language wasn't their first language or they had issues at home. You see some families that struggle to make ends meet and single parents are taking two jobs to support the family so they don't have the time to sit down with their kids to help them with school work, read to them and make sure they are doing the best they can.  Whereas the rich can afford tutors and because one job is enough, they can sit down and enjoy time with their kids.  Working at a daycare I can tell which older kids read and learn things at home as well as the daycare.  But if the government just wants to overlook it and blame it on other things just to get by, then things will not improve. 

http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/income_inequality_goes_to_school_20120224/

Blog #6: How parenting skills can help our kids achieve gender equality

       How did women having to struggle in a man's world begin?  In this article gender equality is being looked at as something that starts out in childhood, in how we are taught as children. The author talks about how we should gender stereotype when raising our kids.  One of the things that she hates the most is when someone says something like "boys will be boys, its what they do". She explained that her son was given toys such as guns and swords for his birthday, but if she had  had a girl they would have given her dolls and kitchen sets.  She believes children are treated by their gender.  Girls are treated softer than boys because boys are tougher.  Girls are supposed to grow up and me well mannered and nice, where as boys are strong and competitive.  She said growing up her mother wouldn't allow her to do things such as climb trees and play with cars, because that's what boys did.  She sees it in women raising their boys one way and their girls another and then saying that's just how they are.  We should teach our children how to live with one another and respect each others similarities and differences.  Girls and boys can both be strong, they can both me sensitive, and nice.  Raise them to be equal. 
         I totally agree with this article. We are talking gender differences now in class.  Even in one of my HDF classes we are talking about how kids as soon as they are born are treated by their gender.  Girls get pink, boys get blue. I would say i was a tom boy when i was younger even so now.  Yea i had barbies and cooking sets, but i also had power wheels and played with boys things all the time.  I probably wouldn't be who i am if i was told i couldn't do certain things that i did.  I work at a daycare and we have had a father once tell us he didn't want his son playing with the dolls.  That is one of the centers and we can't tell him not to play with something if he wants to like that. Some of our 3 yr old girls plays in the car and block center more than the dramatic play (kitchen, dolls) center. But it is true you see it everywhere, boys are supposed to be one way and girls another. Its not as bad as it used to be, but you still see it in the world.  Religion play a large role in that as well, i know in some countries gender equality hasn't changed as much as in the United States because of their strict religion.  I'm not saying the way we raise our kids is the reason for gender equality, it is just a small part. Let kids be who they want to be.

http://voxxi.com/2012/02/21/how-parenting-skills-can-help-our-kids-achieve-gender-equality-mujer-voxpopuli/

Blog #5: The State of the Union Is Unequal: 10 Things Presidential Candidates Should Know About Inequality

             According to this article the United States has greater inequality than 66 other nations.  Although every nation has inequality, not all of it is bad. There is also good inequality which helps motivate us by others' success, making us seek new skills, innovate, and work smarter and faster. Good inequality can have a positive impact on people's lives. Extreme inequality is damaging to a society. Extreme inequality affects anyone, not just the disadvantages unlike poverty.  The women who wrote this article say there are 10 things that the presidential candidates should know about how bad extreme inequality is for America. These 10 things include economic health,health, children's aspirations, housing, services, trust and cohesion, violent crime, democracy, stability and The American Dream. Economic health talks about the difference in how average Americans would spend extra money compared to millionaires; Health in general, all the stress causes more risk of heart attack or stroke, more depression, and greater conflicts in relationships because of hardships. Children's aspirations are affected in that self esteem is dropping so children aren't going after their dreams and goals.  Housing is affected because pretty much for a child to go to a decent school you have to be in an are with bigger house prices. Services are affected because when the rich opt our of using the "Services" they don't support investments in them because they aren't needed for them. Trust and cohesion is affected because income gaps divide people meaning less trust between neighbors.  Violent Crime increases with stronger inequalities.  Democracy is effected.  Stability is affected especially if people don't think the government is working well.. The American Dream is affected because its harder and harder to climb the ladder now so many don't believe they can make it in this country anymore. Although all this is affected most of it can be fixed or prevented. 
           I agree with this article in saying these are the things that the candidates need to know.  Everything that was said is true and its sad to see.  The one thing i didn't realize is that there was good inequality. But after reading about it and what it does i see that there is and why there is.  It's sad to know that the American Dream is fading, that we used to be the place everyone wanted to come to, but now because of all the inequalities they don't. Hopefully after this next election, the new president will start to realize these things and find ways to fix them or prevent them, because it can be done, we just have to work together.

   http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sarah-burdsharps/america-wealth-inequality_b_1270434.html

Blog #3: Davos 2012: Income Inequality Becomes An Issue At World Economic Forum For First Time

               At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland this year, instead of the rising debt in Europe being the main issue, the growing inequality was brought up for the first time.  Despite the Europe's latest attempts to fix their economy, their fear for a downfall.  They had no answers to the widening inequality gap, but came to a realization that economic growth must include the poor, that job creation is critical, and that affordable food, housing, health care and education need to part of any solution. Asia is proposed to be the leader in economic growth.  Vikram Pandit, CEO of the global bank Citigroup Inc, said that the number one priority should be getting people jobs.  He ways the world needs 40 million jobs not including the 200 million just to get back to full employment. They had protesters set up outside, yelling they were poor because of them.  "Unilever's Polman said it's unacceptable that more than 1 billion people are hungry every day while another billion are obese."  Nobel economics laureate Peter Diamond, an economics professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said that their is an unemployment crisis, especially among young experienced people and that they need to work on better education system as well as other things. Among others things discussed at the Forum, the environment seemed to be more included than in a separate topic.  Nature is a support system and should be a part of the solution.
                Its good to see that other places are starting to realize the inequality that is growing all over.  This forum apparently has talked about the same things over and over again and now they realize there is a major problem that needs to be fixed.  Like the protesters many of the poor believe its the riches fault they are poor.  We talked about this in class, reasons countries are poor are because richer countries make them that way.  This Forum may not have been as upbeat as they usually are, but they took in to concern some major issues that are uprising. Every person who spoke had great ideas, they just need to find a way to implement them.

 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/29/davos-2012-income-inequality_n_1240158.html

Blog 2: Social inequality the real culprit in India’s ‘shameful’ malnutrition problem

       In an article posted on "The Globe and Mail", Stephanie Nolen writes about how the real culprit to India's malnutrition problem is social inequality. Even though India's economy has grown by nearly 10%, the child's malnutrition rates remain remotely the same, maybe declined by like 2% if that.  In a survey taken, 2.3 per cent of children under the age of five are underweight for their age, 58.8 per cent are stunted and 11.4 per cent are so severely underfed as to be considered “wasted.” Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is one person who has not ignored this issue and calls the numbers "shameful". Almost ever village that was surveyed had a community centre that is supposed to distribute dry food rations to unfed children, but many of those centres aren't receiving the food and supplies they are supposed to get.  Social inequality particularly between men and women seems to be the culprit not poverty.  Many more poorer countries in Africa have better nourished children because the women there have more autonomy when it comes to thing such as personal mobility, work, and household spending do their children eat better.  Education is another connection, close to half of children of illiterate mothers are malnourished, where as a third are with mothers with 10 or more years of education.
        Reading this article makes me sad. Knowing that India's economy is growing but so many children are still dying from starvation.  Its odd to think that social inequality can play such a big role in something like this, but i can somewhat see how.  If women had more say or more free will then their children would probably get feed better. It isn't just that though.  As it said in the article, most of the villages they surveyed had centres that are supposed to provide food for these unfed children, but because they aren't being supplied like they are supposed to be then the children aren't getting food.  So that becomes a government problem.  But I am glad to see that there is some high power, a prime minister, that seems to be concerned and hopefully will be able to change those numbers in the next few years.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/worldview/social-inequality-the-real-culprit-in-indias-shameful-malnutrition-problem/article2309403/

Blog 1: Can We Reduce Economic Inequality in America?

             Michael Kraus, PH.D, writes how us as Americans are unaware of the amount of wealth inequality there really is. He explains three reasons why economic inequality continues to increase. First he says we don't realize it exists. In a study he read, Americans believe that the richest 20% of people own 58.2% of wealth in America, when in actuality, the richest 20% own about 84.8% of the wealth. Second, he says we don't have clear social classes in America. There is no middle class anymore, and many who think they are the "haves" are really the "have nots" and vice versa. And Third, we rely to heavily on the nobility of the rich. Many rich are less generous, pro social, and helpful to others.  Including charity, lower income individuals give a higher portion of their annual salary to charity. Rich may give big amounts, but not as often as lower income people.
           After reading this I agree with him.  I honestly can say I am one who didn't realize that there was such a big difference.  I mean I knew the rich get richer and the poor poorer, but not how much the rich really had. The government seems to try to fix it, but doesn't seem to be doing so well. This is definitely a social problem and believe more people need to be aware of it.  Also I believe if we could help with this economic inequality it could help with some others.
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/under-the-influence/201201/can-we-reduce-economic-inequality-in-america