In a recent United Nations survey comparing gender equality in countries around the world, the United States ranked 27th, above Russia (42nd), China (57th), Brazil (73rd) and India (113th).
But the United States was ranked below Germany (11th), Britain (13th), France (15th), Lesotho (16th), Trinidad and Tobago (19th), South Africa (22nd), Argentina (24th) and Cuba (25th).
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Some surprising numbers, from the supposedly 'freest' country in the world. Looking at the top three countries (Norway, Finland and Sweden) and the bottom three (Saudi Arabia, Chad and Yemen), one can't help but wonder what role religion plays in all of this. The USA is far more religious than most people care to admit - mega churches make mega decisions there, and have a hold over a large part of public opinion.
The Nordic social democracies are among the least religious countries on the planet, whereas in all of the three bottom countries, Islam is the law. Of course, by that standard China should have done better, so it's more likely a measure of how women are viewed in each country - as a threat to be 'contained' at home, or as humans with potential to contribute socially and economically.
On an unrelated note, I read a great essay by Malcolm Gladwell (author of "The Tipping Point"), arguing that it takes, at minimum, 10 000 hours to be good at anything. Which really makes my 90 hour music-semester classes look ridiculous. But considering the hours a young video gamer puts into his art or how many times a baby falls down before it learns to walk, it seems like a good benchmark.
1 comment:
The scary thought is that I know lots of people that have more than 10,000 hours driving, and I would still NOT consider them good drivers. So who can say that 10,000 hours is a true measure. I know for a fact that you have less than 10,000 hours as a music educator and I would consider you better than most. There you go.
JFC
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