Role of Gender Equality in Development in Africa Essay Example for Free

Role of Gender Equality in Development in Africa Essay Women, especially in Africa, have not yet been included as equal and effective stakeholders in processes that determine their lives. They get subjected to less education, less employment and advancement opportunities. They have limited political representation, and as a result, they do not get a chance to contribute to crucial decision making. In addition, their contribution to national and continental development process goes unnoticed and unrewarded. A report by the World Bank in 2000 identified gender as a key issue affecting three fundamental aspects of fighting poverty in Africa; opportunities, security and empowerment (World Bank, 2000). It also recognized the positive link between gender equality and economic growth. An excellent example is the observation that women prefer that Government spending be more oriented towards the well being of children, local infrastructure, and anti poverty programs. This boosts economic growth, thus, empowering women in political processes would lead to larger allocations towards growth, enhancing Government expenditures. Further more it was discovered that, where influence of women in public life is immense, level of corruption is lower; therefore, women can effectively rule or govern. What role does gender equality play in development of Africa? Gender equality is crucial to a number of key development goals. These goals include; ensuring education for all, promoting economic growth and accountability in management of public goods and services. Stimulating economic empowerment for marginalized groups, and enhancing democracy and peace also constitute the development goals. Other relevant issues include; eliminating discrimination and violence against women, Improving maternal health, reducing child mortality, and Combating HIV/aids. Gender equality in education can have a beneficial outcome on the realization of valuable development goals. Educated women will help reduce child mortality, increase fertility and expand education for the next generation. Education is associated with high human capital and employment. These, in turn, increase economic growth directly by increasing workers’ productivity and indirectly by increasing economic growth through increased rate of return to physical investment. In terms of employment, more women should be included into the formal sector. Artificial barriers to female employment in the formal sector have contributed highly to the rising labor costs and low International competitiveness. This results from women being unable to offer their labor services at more competitive rates. Agriculture is the backbone of African economy. Women make up the majority of farmers and are the most engaged in Agriculture. To change Africa into a green revolution and eradicate hunger, disease and malnutrition, the continent should re-examine gender issues in Agriculture development. This will result in improved output on a basis that is fair and can be maintained. At the heart of Agricultural development in Africa is the strategic change through implementation of new skills and the strengthening of Science and Technology. Women should be included in credit matters. Poverty can be reduced if women gain access to loans. This is because giving loans to women will result in more money being used up on the household than is the case with men. In economic terms empowering women through micro financing has multiplier effects that include gains in human capital development through training and investment in children’s education, health etc. This has shown to yield high returns in terms of future productivity and participation in a growing economy. Infrastructure takes a leading role in development in all countries. It affects a society’s economic, social and cultural activities. Incorporating gender perceptions into infrastructure can create a positive impact on development. Women comprise 70-80% of the agricultural labor force for food crop production and processing in Africa. Many women have also ventured into small businesses to sell their farm products. Therefore, increasing their access to things like electricity and roads will lead to increased agriculture output and better food availability in markets (Buvinic, Morrison Sjoblom, 2001) Conclusion Foreign aid has not been successful in developing Africa. The current generation has the duty to formulate strategies that will help in growing the economies of Africa. Gender, Agriculture, and education represent the main entry points to break the vicious cycle of poverty. Countries that promote and invest in the social and economic status of women experience low poverty rates. For example, providing girls with secondary school education can increase their future wages by 10 to 20 %. The irony is that women and girls make up for 67% of the world’s working hours, and yield half of the global food, but they only gain 10% of the world’s income and possess less than 1% of the world’s property.

Understanding Genetic Engineering Essay -- Genetic Engineering

What if cancer could be cured by eating a pear? Or if a crop of wheat could be developed so that it never rotted? These may sound like science fiction but they're not as strange as they first seem to be, and may even be reality in the future. Fifteen years ago who would have thought that plants could be created to be immune to pesticides or that it would be possible to create a sheep that is exactly like its parent in every physical way? And yet both of these currently exist due to genetic engineering. Genetic engineering is a developing science that is viewed with a lot of public apprehension. No one seems to be able to explain what genetic engineering is, when it first began, or what the possibilities are for the future of this science. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency genetic engineering is: â€Å"A process of inserting new genetic information into existing cells in order to modify a specific organism for the purpose of changing one of its characteristics† (USEPA 1). Cells are the smallest living things on earth , but all organisms are made up of different kinds of cells. Some organisms are made up of only one cell, but most organisms are made up of trillions of different cells with each cell having its own job within an organism. Some cells make skin, some make leaves, and others make up nerves and brains (Franklin Institute 1). All cells begin the same with no distinction from other cells; at this stage they are called stem cells and are able to develop into whatever form of cell is needed. Inside each cell is a control center called a nucleus that contains the code with the information for the cell's development. This code is written on deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA, and is store d in packages, or chrom... ...gineering. 2004. 10 September 2010 Paternity Experts. Basic Genetics. 2009. 11 September 2010 Union of Concerned Scientists. Genetic Engineering Techniques 18 July 2003. 9 September 2010 U.S. Department of Energy Genome Programs (USDEGP). Gene Therapy. 11 June 2009. 11 September 2010 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (USEPA) Terms of Environment: Glossary, Abbreviations and Acronyms. 2October 2006. 8 September 2010

Internalization of Values Socialization of the Baraka

Internalization of Values Socialization of the Baraka and Keiski Aubrey Love English Comp 3 Dr. Popham 3/21/2012 The people who inhabit a community and their interactions with one another comprise a society. These repeated interactions allow people to internalize or, hold true, what society portrays as everyday norms and values. These norms and values are instilled during childhood through the time he or she becomes an adult. Amiri Baraka’s autobiography â€Å"School† and Lisa Keiski’s essay â€Å"Suicide’s Forgotten Victims,† makes this evident.In both â€Å"School† and â€Å"Suicide’s Forgotten Victims,† Baraka’s and Keiski’s daily interactions with their peers, authority figures, and society contribute to the formulation of important life lessons. Through the daily interactions with his peers in his educational setting, Baraka internalizes concepts pivotal to real world situations. School provided Baraka with an environment to social with students that have common interests and goals: â€Å"The games and sports of the playground and streets was one registration carried with us as long as we live† (260). Friends compose the next primary socializing agent outside the family.It allows Baraka to see beyond his small world at home and introduces him to new experiences. Physical and recreational activities are important components in childhood development. Interactions with his peers provided Baraka with his first experience of equal status relationships. When Baraka played around with his friends, he made a distinction between himself and the others around him. The games shared between his friends shows that Baraka began learning to understand the idea of multiple roles; the duties and behaviors expected of someone who holds a particular status.Baraka took the values he learned from playing with his friends and certified them, implementing them in his everyday actions for the rest of his life. Baraka’s peers allowed him to internalize a vital life lesson necessary for the real world. Like Baraka, the daily interactions of Keiski with her roommate and friends in college allow her to experience a form of socialization necessary for reality. College not only provides a rigorous coursework, it offers Keiski and her peers a place to learn and grow from each other. I went to a mutual friend who was going to stay with her that night†¦ he had been around Sue too and said that she’d be all right†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (95). When faced with a scenario that Keishi is unsure about, she seeks refuge and clarification from a friend, hoping he can provide her with insight and wisdom about her situation. Although he tried to affirm Sue’s safety, deep in Keiski’s heart, she knew Sue faced trials and tribulations. From her interaction with her mutual friend, Keiski learns that she cannot depend on others to understand or take care of a situation for her.Keisk i had some kind of understanding of Sue’s hint for help, while her mutual friend did not sense suicidal signs from Sue and thus remained clueless the underlying pain. Keiski internalizes the life lesson that not everyone will understand a particular situation and if he or she does not understand, he or she will not have the answer to fix the situation; not all daily interactions lead to a positive end, a harsh but evident value in society. Similarly to the peers in Baraka’s â€Å"School,† authority figures contribute to Baraka’s socialization by exemplifying values and norms in their day-to-day actions.In this case, authority figures take the form of Baraka’s teacher, Mrs. Powell. â€Å"The only black teacher in the school at the time†¦, beat me damn near to death in full view of her and my 7B class†¦ (which apparently was sanctioned by my mother†¦)† (258). Baraka exerted the wrong class attitude by playing around while the te acher taught her class. Mrs. Powell uses Baraka as a demonstration for the class on what appropriate behavior in the classroom is. Mrs. Powell provides Baraka with an experience of the hierarchal system between adults and children.Baraka’s mother’s approval of physical discipline shows Baraka that certain behavior in a given situation will not be tolerated. The authority figures intend to instill the value they believe prove useful in society; values such as respecting authority figures or not talking over someone in a conversation. Through his experience with Mrs. Powell, Baraka internalizes the importance of recognizing people in positions of power and how to interact with them; a life lesson needed in almost every situation: family, friends, or the workplace.By the same token, authority figures in â€Å"Suicide’s Forgotten Victim† help the socialization of Keiski by allowing her to view the world in terms of how it affected her well-being. She says, â €Å"My own therapy has been immensely helpful, perhaps lifesaving† (96). Keiski’s repressed feelings grew stronger eating away at her conscious. She condemned herself for not having done anything to help prevent Sue from committing harm to herself. Keiski sought help from a psychiatrist whom gave her the support she needed, gingerly and sympathetically listening to Keiski’s issues.The therapeutic treatment of positive discussion allowed Keiski to think about herself and how she continuously handled the situation instead of worrying about her roommate and feeling guilty for not taking action to prevent such a travesty from occurring. It was helpful to Keiski in that she began to understand her why she was feeling the way she was. It can be argued that without having the support of the psychiatrist Keiski could have succumbed the pressure and guilt she felt and like Sue, have tried to end her life. That emotional outlet ultimately saved Keiski from herself and the personal guilt within her that built up.The authority figure, the psychiatrist, taught Keiski that she has to remember to consider herself and her own emotions when dealing with hardships in order to maintain good mental health. Not only do the peers and authority figures contribute to Baraka learning life lessons, society as a whole holds the many values and norms that vary from culture to culture. Baraka narrates a moment in time where he was on trial for supposedly cussing out a cop and making remarks about the cop’s father in a bank. Baraka countered stating African Americans focus on joking about mothers and the case was dismissed.From these societal experiences Baraka states, â€Å"I learned that you could keep people off you if you were mouth-dangerous as well as physically capable† (263). Away from the school or home setting, Baraka becomes exposed to values of society that may not have been so evident, such as racism. In society, it is important to be verball y educated. Not everything in life requires physical strength to overcome an obstacle. Baraka learned that words are just as powerful as physical abilities. He can get what he wants by persuading another by manipulating words and sentence structure.Language is used to convey rules, norms, and values amongst a group. It is main form of communication that exists. Baraka learns that life is based off previous statements about how to live, whether they are true or not. Without language, these ideals would not be able to be shared. Just like Baraka, society in Keiski’s â€Å"Suicide’s Forgotten History† society teaches life lessons on how to deal with the pressures of day-to-day interactions. The nature of society blames and points fingers when something goes wrong: â€Å"We, as a society, need to stop stigmatizing the friends and relatives of a suicide victim and start helping them† (94).The societal stigma that followed casted blame on Keiski for Sue’ s suicidal attempt, subjecting her to isolation. This stigma only promotes more grief, increases the recovery time, and discourages individuals from seeking help. Keiski argues that society needs to change its approach in deailing with suicide and suicide’s victim. Instead of pointing fingers and having scapegoats, society needs to give support and sympathy to families that have lost a love one to suicide. Keiski wants society to focus on prevention and intervention to allow families and friends to cope with their trama.Although â€Å"School† and â€Å"Suicide’s Forgotten Victim† tell the story of two distinctive individuals growing up, both account for strong life lessons learned in the process. Peers provide environments for individual to interaction and learn from one another. Authority figures give insight to the world at large through the experiences of their socialized minds. Society is the daily interaction of citizens in any environment exposing p eople to all the aspects that make up society. These are key agents in the development of norms and values in children throughout their growing period.

Economics and Correct Answer Essay - 1399 Words

The assumption of rationality in economics implies that: Answer Selected Answer: people make choices with an eye toward attaining objectives they have chosen. Correct Answer: people make choices with an eye toward attaining objectives they have chosen. Question 2 0 out of 10 points Carla had received very low annual return from her investment portfolio comprising of stocks of five companies for two years. Her decision to continue holding the same portfolio of assets will be an example of: Answer Selected Answer: bounded rationality. Correct Answer: systematically missed opportunities. Question 3 10 out of 10 points Assume that a cargo ship carrying the merchandise†¦show more content†¦Correct Answer: the highest-cost firm in operation breaks even, while the low cost firms will earn profit. . Question 14 . 0 out of 10 points If there are only a few producers of substitutes for Good X, a merger between producers of Good X and any one of them could significantly _____ for Good X. Answer Selected Answer: increase the elasticity of supply. Correct Answer: decrease the elasticity of demand. . Question 15 . 0 out of 10 points A set of producers is competitive if: Answer Selected Answer: the good produced by one can be differentiated from the other. Correct Answer: each supplies a substitute for what the others produce. Question 16 . 0 out of 10 points Refer to Figure 6-1. Which of the following conclusions can be drawn from this figure? The following figure shows the demand, marginal revenue, and marginal cost curves for a profit maximizing monopolist. Figure 6-1 Answer Selected Answer: The monopolist produces at the point where marginal cost is zero. Correct Answer: The monopolist incurs a fixed marginal cost of OC’. 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