Supporting Question #1: What are the different roles of men and women in society?:

NOVEMBER 29, 2007Is South America Moving Beyond Machismo?

BY JESUS RIOS AND STEVE CRABTREE

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The historic election of Argentina's president-elect Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has

reignited the discussion of gender roles in Latin America. In South America, residents appear accepting of

women in positions of power. The broader question is whether this acceptance is largely confined to the public

sphere or if it reflects a shift in underlying attitudes applicable to the private domain as well. The answer could

affect the future of the region as deeply entrenched gender biases have long hurt economic growth and

development in Latin America.

Recent Gallup Polls in South America suggest recent social trends -- such as dropping fertility rates and the

growing presence of women in the workforce -- have fostered attitudes that no longer fit neatly into the

conception of a male-dominated Latin American society. Data from nine South American countries reveal that

on average, a majority of men (69%) and women (84%) agree that it is easier for women than men to juggle

work and family demands. Almost identical percentages agree that women should manage the household's

finances. And roughly two in three men (65%) and women (65%) in the nine countries agree that the number of

househusbands in their countries has increased.

Women in the Workplace

Almost everywhere in Latin America, progress toward greater gender parity is evident in education. World

Bank figures indicate that in several countries -- including Argentina, Brazil, and Colombia -- girls are enrolled

in secondary school at higher rates than boys. A 2004 report from the Inter-American Development Bank noted

that one potential factor in this difference is higher unemployment rates for teenage girls, making them more

likely than boys to stay in school.

However, women's greater likelihood to remain unemployed suggests these gains in educational parity are

often not capitalized on outside the home. Though it has narrowed in the past two decades, the gap between

the proportion of men and the proportion of women in the workforce remains relatively wide. According to the

most recent International Labour Organization statistics, the typical female-to-male ratio in the labor forces in

the nine South American countries surveyed is 3-to-4 (by comparison, the corresponding ratio in the United

States is about 9-to-10).

On the other hand, those women who do have jobs are no less likely than employed men in these nine

countries to feel positive about their work. On average, 84% of employed men and 85% of employed women

say they are satisfied with their jobs, while 85% of men and 88% of women say their jobs give them the

opportunity to do what they do best every day. Perhaps most tellingly, given women's historical social status,

an average of 78% of employed men and 80% of employed women say their opinions count at work.

Bottom Line

The progress of women in Latin America shouldn't be overstated. Strict gender roles still inhibit modernization

in some areas, and problems such as domestic violence and gender wage gaps still exist. Nonetheless, these

survey results suggest that the increased visibility of female leaders is a manifestation of growing gender

parity.

Survey Methods

Results are based on face-to-face interviews with about 1,000 adults, aged 15 and older, in each of the nine

countries conducted between June and October 2007. For results based on each national sample, one can say

with 95% confidence that the maximum margin of sampling error is ±3 percentage points. In addition to

sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into

the findings of public opinion polls.

Down and out in Cairo and Beirut The sorry state of Arab menThey are clinging to the patriarchy for comfort

May 4th 2017| CAIRO

AHMED, who lives in Cairo, allows his wife to work. “At first, I insisted she stay at

home, but she was able to raise the kids and care for the house and still have time to go

to work,” he says. Still, he doesn’t seem too impressed. “Of course, as a man, I’m the

main provider for the family. I believe women just cannot do that.”

Ahmed’s outlook is widely shared throughout the region, where men dominate

households, parliaments and offices. Chauvinist attitudes are reflected in laws that treat

women as second-class citizens. A new survey by the UN and Promundo, an advocacy

group, examines Arab men’s views on male-female relations. (One of the authors,

Shereen El Feki, used to write for The Economist.) It finds that around 90% of men in

Egypt believe that they should have the final say on household decisions, and that

women should do most of the chores.

Supporting Question #2: Does (or should) society treat men and women equally?

Freedom, opportunities rise for girls and women, but unfairness aboundsBy Los Angeles Times, adapted by Newsela staff

03/15/2015

People walk in the International Women’s Day march for gender equality and women’s rights from the United Nations to Times Square in New York City, March 8, 2015. About 1,000 people gathered to speak up for the gender that traditionally is paid less for work and often has a smaller voice in policy decisions.

Much has improved for women in the past 20

years. Gradually, women have gained more freedom and more equal opportunities. Still, women and

girls all over the world continue to be treated unfairly.

In 1995, the United Nations (U.N.) held a meeting in Beijing, China. The United Nations is a

gathering of leaders from countries all over the world. The goal of the U.N. is to allow countries to

cooperate and solve the world's toughest problems.

The problem that was discussed in Beijing was how to help women and children around the world

get fair treatment and equal rights. U.N. members came up with a set of goals. They called it the

“Platform for Action” and 189 countries agreed to it.

This year, U.N. members will gather to discuss women's rights once again. They will review how

much progress has been made. According to two new studies, many of their goals have not been

met.

It's Still A Man's World

One study was done by the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA), a top university. The

study found that most countries still have laws that are unfair to women.

The other study came from the U.N. itself. It reviewed how much has changed in the past 20 years.

It indicated that there has been some progress. It found that there is a long way to go, however.

For example, men still have more control in government than women. Only 20 countries around the

world are led by women. Although women make up about half the world's population, only about one

fifth of lawmakers are women. Around the world, women are also paid less than men for doing the

same work.

Although there have been some changes, it has been slow. At the current speed, it will take about 50

years for there to be as many women in government as men. It will take 81 years for women to have

as many jobs and make as much money as men.

Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka is the head of the U.N. group that works to improve women's lives. She

discussed the U.N. study last week. She said that world leaders have not done enough.

“The leaders entrusted with the power to realize the promises made in Beijing have failed women

and girls," she said.

More Schoolgirls, Fewer Child Brides

There have been improvements, though. Nearly half of all grade school students are now girls. More

workers are women as well. Health care for women has also improved.

Many countries have also passed laws that protect young girls. In some places, girls are pressured

to get married at a young age. This makes it hard for them to make their own choices, get jobs or

earn money. It also means they often become mothers at a young age.

“Girls who marry young have babies young,” said Jody Heymann. She was one of the people behind

the UCLA study. Having children at a young age is dangerous for women's health and for their

babies' health, she said.

Now, almost every country has a law that says that people cannot marry until they reach a certain

age. The Maldives is an island country in the Indian Ocean. The country passed a law in 2001 that

said that people could not marry until the age of 18. Since then, the number of girls getting married

between the ages of 15 and 18 has dropped substantially.

Still, all around the world, nearly five times more girls than boys get married before they turn 18.

Even though women and girls are still treated unfairly, the UCLA study found that positive changes

have been made in every region of the world.

“Clearly we have the capability to do this as a global community,” Heymann said. “It’s a question of

whether we all focus on getting the job done.”

16 Ways Women Still Aren’t Equal to Men

Charlotte Hilton Andersen

Why it’s better than ever to be a woman—except for these little imbalance issues the world still need

to work on.

Women earn 83 cents for every dollar men earnSteve Lovegrove/Shutterstock

The pay gap between men and women has long been discussed and has been a sad fact of life ever

since women entered the workforce. The bad news? Even in 2018, we’re still dealing with it: The most

recent data show that women earned 83 percent of what men earn, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of median hourly earnings of both full- and part-time American workers. By this math, it would

take an extra 44 days of work for women to earn what men do. There is some good news, however.

Among younger workers, ages 25 to 34, the gap is significantly smaller, with women earning 90 percent of

what men do. It’s not equal yet but it’s great progress!

Men’s deodorant is cheaper than women’sAfrica Studio/Shutterstock

Women have long known that if you want to save a little cash on personal

items or services—such as clothing, hygiene products, dry cleaning, and shoes

—you should shop in the men’s section to avoid the “Pink Tax.” A recent study compared products with nearly identical ingredients and found that almost half the time, the woman’s

product was more expensive, costing about 13 percent more. Forty percent of the time, the prices were

equal, and the remaining 18 percent of the time, men paid more. “The reason for this is the widely held

cultural stereotype that women are complicated, and men are simple and straightforward,” Dr. Anderson

says. “In reality this just reflects how ludicrous and arbitrary sexism can be.” But, she notes, there is some

improvement, with some states passing laws banning practices such as different prices for haircuts and

dry cleaning.

Ladies are always on dish dutyWomen of all ages still tend to do more household chores than their male

partners, spending more than 50 percent more time on unpaid labor, no matter

how many hours they work or how much money they earn in a job outside the

home, according to a study published in Sex Roles. A separate U.K. study put

the number higher, with women spending 60 percent more time doing things like cooking, cleaning, and

caring for children. “I don’t think it’s a matter of men refusing to help out—it’s just that they don’t think

about it as much,” Dr. Lombardo says. “Women are natural multitaskers and so will automatically do

things they see need doing while a man can walk past a sink full of dishes and not even register it as a

thing that needs to be taken care of.”

Female athletes in every sport earn lessOranzy Photography/Shutterstock

Take tennis, for example: Roger Federer has made $110.2 million in career

prize money while Serena Williams has earned $77.6 million in career prize

money. And in the ranking of the top 100 highest paid athletes in the world,

Williams is the only woman. It’s hotly debated who is the better athlete, but it’s

apparent from their paychecks which one is the more valued athlete. “In U.S. culture, masculinity is tied to

sports, and athletic women threaten the masculine hold on sports,” Dr. Anderson says, adding that female

athletes are downplayed in other ways too. “In photographs in sports magazines, women are often

portrayed off the court or field...while men are shown playing their sport. This is a strategy to trivialize their

athleticism and make their presence in sports less threatening,” she says. Recent research has shown,

however, that sports are making steady, albeit slow, progress in pay equality.

Women do most of the caregiving

Nearly 70 percent of unpaid caregivers—mostly to children or elderly

relatives—are women, according to a study done by the Urban Institute.

And women spend an hour more each day doing household tasks,

including caregiving, than men, even when they too work full-time,

according to a study done by Indiana University. “We see it as normal when a woman takes care of the

kids, but when we see a dad at the park with his child it’s like ‘Whoa, what’s happening here?’” Dr.

Lombardo says. These gender roles may be loosening however, as more men take pride in their role of

father instead of saying that they’re babysitting.

Women outspend men on medical care by almost 2:1

Matt Kay/Shutterstock

Women can expect to spend nearly half a million dollars on medical care over

the course of their lifetime while men can expect to spend about $350,000

(adjusted for inflation), according to a study published in Health Services

Research. Despite a ruling issued by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) prohibiting

gender discrimination in health care and health insurance, women’s care is far more expensive than

men’s. Why? Most insurance companies consider women a higher “risk” because they tend to visit the

doctor more often, they live longer, and, of course, they have babies.

Women are more likely to live and die in poverty

Matyas Rehak/Shutterstock

Poverty is heartbreaking no matter the gender, but recent data show that

women are at a much higher risk. Rates of poverty for males and females are

the same throughout childhood, but then increase for women during their

childbearing years and again in old age, according to the Center for American Progress. And women of color, single moms, and the elderly are even more vulnerable.

Poverty has been linked to poor health outcomes including higher rates of suicide and depression, a

greater risk of obesity, and a higher rate of infant and maternal death, so the needs of poor women need

to be addressed stat. “Because women start out with less, they end up with less, it’s really a vicious

cycle,” Dr Lombardo says.

STEM industries are still largely dominated by menRaimundas/Shutterstock

Despite efforts over the past few decades to get more girls interested in

science, technology, engineering, and math, these industries remain heavily

male. For example, more than 90 percent of airline pilots are men. This can

turn into a self-reinforcing cycle, Dr. Anderson says. Because men have run these industries for so long,

the jobs have become suited to the particular needs of men. “Often this creates a hostile environment for

women,” she says. This may be intentional or unintentional but until there is more leadership regarding

gender issues and incentive to fix the problem or it will persist, she adds.

Supporting Question #3: Why are men and women treated differently in some societies?