jeudi, mai 04, 2006
go together like a horse and carriage
I read a really interesting piece in the Economist magazine the other day (the April 15-21 edition) called "The Importance of Sex: Forget China, India and the Internet: Economic Growth is Driven by Women". Some excerpts:
One longstanding reason why boys have been seen as a greater blessing has been that they are expected to become better economic providers for their parents' old age. Yet it is time for parents to think again. Girls may now be a better investment.
Girls get better grades at school than boys, and in most developed countries more women than men go to university. Women will thus be better equipped for the new jobs of the 21st century, in which brains count a lot more than brawn. In Britain far more women than men are now training to become doctors. And women are more likely to provide sound advice on investing their parents' nest egg: surveys show that women consistently achieve higher financial returns than men do. [Who knew!]
Furthermore, the increase in female employment in the rich world has been the main driving force of growth in the past couple of decades. Those women have contributed more to global GDP growth than have either new technology or the new giants, China and India. Add the value of housework and child-rearing, and women probably account for just over half of world output. It is true that women still get paid less and few make it to the top of companies, but, as prejudice fades over coming years, women will have great scope to boost their productivity - and incomes.
...Not only will educated women be more productive, but they will also bring up better educated and healthier children. More women in government could also boost economic growth: studies show that women are more likely to spend money on improving health, education, infrastructure and poverty and less likely to waste it on tanks and bombs.
In other news, I jogged again last night, prior to watching the Flames go down in flames (pretty funny, huh). Devin came with me and we covered a solid 4.55 kilometres; this was our route. It was a bit tough for me. But check me out, I've run just under NINE kilometres already this week! Rest assured I'm sleeping really well these days. | ¶ 1:28 p.m.
One longstanding reason why boys have been seen as a greater blessing has been that they are expected to become better economic providers for their parents' old age. Yet it is time for parents to think again. Girls may now be a better investment.
Girls get better grades at school than boys, and in most developed countries more women than men go to university. Women will thus be better equipped for the new jobs of the 21st century, in which brains count a lot more than brawn. In Britain far more women than men are now training to become doctors. And women are more likely to provide sound advice on investing their parents' nest egg: surveys show that women consistently achieve higher financial returns than men do. [Who knew!]
Furthermore, the increase in female employment in the rich world has been the main driving force of growth in the past couple of decades. Those women have contributed more to global GDP growth than have either new technology or the new giants, China and India. Add the value of housework and child-rearing, and women probably account for just over half of world output. It is true that women still get paid less and few make it to the top of companies, but, as prejudice fades over coming years, women will have great scope to boost their productivity - and incomes.
...Not only will educated women be more productive, but they will also bring up better educated and healthier children. More women in government could also boost economic growth: studies show that women are more likely to spend money on improving health, education, infrastructure and poverty and less likely to waste it on tanks and bombs.
In other news, I jogged again last night, prior to watching the Flames go down in flames (pretty funny, huh). Devin came with me and we covered a solid 4.55 kilometres; this was our route. It was a bit tough for me. But check me out, I've run just under NINE kilometres already this week! Rest assured I'm sleeping really well these days. | ¶ 1:28 p.m.
