Analysis of Counting for Nothing: What Men Value and What Women are Worth - Book Report/Review Example

Number] Counting for Nothing Counting for Nothing: What Men Value and What Women are Worth is a book written by the New Zealander politician, feminist, and economist Marilyn Waring. This book is entirely based upon the national accounts system which is associated with the United Nations. Waring argues that the system of measuring national accounts and economic growth is highly patriarchal and women are not counted at all as productive for the environment or economy. As she says in the beginning of her book that ‘Safe drinking water counts for nothing. A pollution –free environment counts for nothing. Even some people-namely women-count for nothing’ (Waring 1). As Waring starts her book, she writes about the patriarchal system existing in the United Nations. She marks the example of the UN because it is the institution which governs all the policies through which the GDP of countries is calculated. She argues that the contributions of women in labour are often ignored while men are considered to be the ones who are educated and better earners. As she says women count for nothing she means that the efforts and contributions of women are ignored and uncounted in the economy of the country. This is not only in the national accounts of the third world countries but also the developed countries. The main argument presented by Waring is that the National Accounts of countries is gender biased. Waring says that the National Accounts of countries which include some of the most important economic numbers such as GNP, GDP, unemployment rate, Consumer Price Index and others are determined by several surveys and interviews that are taken by the government to support their economic policies and programmes (Waring 57). In such surveys to prepare the national accounts, there are several issues that have been raised. These issues are regarding the productivity and monetary value of work which is carried out. Paid and unpaid work is divided and various types of labour work are considered to be unimportant. Waring has closely analyzed the current world economic system as portrayed by the UN policies. She finds out that in the current system, the types of labour work which are highly considered as unimportant and most of the unpaid work which has no monetary value to be added in the national accounts is women’s work. This sort of oppression and discrimination is seen in a wide range of productive activities that women do. The value is given to some of these productive activities, but not all of them. The activities done by men are rather more valued and counted in the national accounts while the work of women is often regulated beyond the productive boundary (Waring 46). The national accounts in the current system are highly manipulated as they hide or cover the labour work done by women. This is also a part of the economic strategy that is created by male accountants and officials sitting in the United Nations. The sole purpose is to exploit women and act as the dominant figures. This can also be seen as officials do not let women come on the position of power (Waring 95). UN is made by the governments of countries and in government assemblies; women are often given lesser seats and opportunities. This system is applied in different ways, but the concept is same in all developing and developed countries. Waring writes in her book about the remedies and the need for a change in the overall system of the world economics. This change is highly important because women contribute to more than 50% of the total world’s population and there is an increasing rate in the labour work done by women. Women in developed and developing countries are majorly taking part in the production activities in all sectors whether it is agriculture of manufacturing industry (Waring 10). For all her points that she has raised in argument, Waring has given perfect examples of the current world. She explains all her points very well and uses examples that support her arguments. There are several examples that she has given about how the unpaid labour of men is always given monetary value in the overall national accounts and how women’s labour work is highly ignored and denied of any monetary value. In the case of women, this issue is also there when the work is paid as paid work of women is also ignored and not valued in the national accounts. Waring writes it as “when a man marries his housekeeper the GNP goes down” (Waring 61). Waring further discusses whether the exploitation of women is rather a conscious conspiracy planned by a group of crooked accountants (Waring 95). In the beginning of the capitalist system, many women were enslaved and forced to carry out unpaid labour. The society was dominated by the male rulers and workers who would push out women from paid labour. That was a planned and conscious strategy that gave rise to the patriarchal capitalist society. The capitalist economic system is inherently patriarchal which makes the women invisible workers in the system. Many of the problems that women face in the current capitalist system is due to dishonesty and corruption which is present in the overall system. This is the problem in the structure of the system which ignites many other issues. Waring was a former politician in New Zealand which is why she has also used some of the political examples and facts to support her arguments. Thus, she believes that the discrimination and oppression of women is a part of the structural formation of the capitalist system. She also discusses about the sexists present in the government but she believes that no matter how many of them are exposed, there would be no change because this sexism is a part of the features of the capitalist system. In order to solve the problem in the system, it is important to remove the gender inequality from the national accounts. Waring supports the implication of an anti-capitalist revolution which would end the patriarchal system in the economic system. Waring believes in a world economy which ends the male dominancy and supports female values. Such an economy would also be oriented towards the needs of humans and would be less harmful for the environment (Waring 213). However, most part of the book is about the feminist economics that Waring had introduced and talked about. Feminist economics is a part of economics in which the patriarchal biasness is tried to overcome. It includes several issues related to women and the economy including the occupational segregation and the lack of monetary value in the National Accounts. Feminist economics would overcome the traditional economic theory in which males were given preference. The new economic system which is highly needed in the world economics must be positive and fair. Waring uses this concept to refer to the discrimination in the UN policies and the need for implications that would reduce the racial and gender biasness. Thus, Waring successfully points out the several issues in the policies and the current world economy. She says that women count for nothing in the patriarchal system and the United Nations supports gender inequality. She has also given an account of how several countries are accepting the feminist economic policies in their system giving women the credit they deserve. Waring presents clear arguments and exposes many of the UN officials and government members along with a detailed historic account of the capitalist system that has always degraded women. Work Cited Waring Marilyn. Counting for Nothing: What Men Value and what Women are Worth. Canada: University of Toronto Press, 1999. Print. Read More