1. Look at your teammates’ responses to #4 B (on why they agree with one of the explanations for the paradox reporting of gender violence in Nordic countries). Do you agree or disagree with their explanation? Why?
2. Research the two countries that one of your teammates’ chose for #5 above. (If any of the countries that you and any teammate selected are the same, then communicate on the side and agree to select different countries before you continue with this item. If no teammate posted by the first round due-date, then pick another country on your own and do the following.)
From http://hdr.undp.org/en/composite/GII get the data on those countries for the items below. NOTE: On that site the countries are ranked by Human Development Index, not by gender equality. The Gender Inequality Index ranking is found in the second column and it may not exactly match the ranking from the website for #5 above. Not a problem: the differences won’t be significant. Get data the for your teammate’s choices from #5 above, PLUS the US:
(when you copy and paste, you should see a table that is invisible here)
| A top 15 ranked country: |
US | A bottom 15 ranked country (139-159): |
|
| maternal mortality | |||
| Parliament seat percentage | |||
| Secondary education percentage | male: | male: | male: |
| female: | female: | female: | |
| Overall HDI rank |
A. Now list 5 more entirely different countries from among the bottom ranked in terms of HDI
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
B. Is there a correlation between poverty and gender inequality among the three countries in the table (plus the additional five above)?
C. What do you suppose is a basic reason why poorer countries tend not to have the resources to reduce maternal mortality rates and improve secondary education rates compared to the top 15 countries?
D. Patriarchal beliefs, practices, and government policies account for why women are hired and paid much less than men in countries in countries like Mexico, the Congo, Bangladesh, and so on. Cheap female labor there benefits consumers in countries like the Netherlands and the United States. Explain.
E. Now explain how this shift of wealth from poor to rich countries also contributes to (a) increasing gender inequality in poorer countries and (b) reducing gender inequality in wealthy countries, as measured by huge differences in maternal mortality rates and secondary education among the two sets of countries.