Gender Inequality is prevalent over much of the world. It is not limited to a few cultures and countries, but has global implications that affect everyone, men and women. The tide does seem to be changing, but slowly and there is hope that one day men and women can be seen as equals.
I was lucky enough to interview the mother of two coworkers, one from Laos, and one from Nicaragua.
I pretty much expected what they both told me and their experiences were similar. The mother from Laos, told me that most women in her country were expected to stay home with the children, as was the case in Nicaragua. In Laos, however, if a woman wanted to get a job, a bribe of some kind would need to be offered because the cost of living is low there, and it is expected that both parents would not need to work.
Men and women have equal opportunity to education in Laos, but many women do not pursue it once they get married and have children. Women there don’t have to work if they don’t want to, unlike women in the US. And if they choose to, it is often very laid back and they can take many
…show more content…
Women in the high middle class are encouraged to finish high school and pursue further education. Many go on to university in the US and Europe. The lower middle class may also send their children to university, at great expense. Children in the lower middle class may go, but the preference will be for the boys in a family to go over any boys the family may have. For poor families, girls will not have the opportunity to attend school as children as there is little to access to public school. Girls are expected to pick crops starting around 6-7 and by the time they around 10-12, having spent the time in between selling candy or begging in the street, they are sent out to the streets, to make money any way they can. They are often left to care for younger siblings and are often abused and mistreated, and easy prey for predators and