Economics of Race and Gender - Assignment Example

In terms of understanding the world around everyone, the discussion in terms of race and gender, as it comes to their linkage with each other, is important to consider. Whether or not the current economic state of affairs is positive or negative, the influence gender and economics, remains a key discussion to have. Throughout the presence of this debate, the overall diversity of the United States, let alone the rest of the world, would also come into play for consideration. Question A Diversity is essential in any society. The underlying piece to the greater puzzle that fits together and creates the overall framework of the cultural landscape that comprises the world that everyone lives in. The variance in appearance that would facilitate the rich, as well as well rounded debate that would occur about a wealth of issues by a wide variety of the general populous. Just as economic understanding is important in terms of comprehending the societal picture, so is the influence that diversity would have on it as well. From a standpoint of general definition, diversity in a sense is the variance found within participants in a given area. One such instance of diversity would be the distinction between the genders. The difference in the level of earnings possessed between the species, largely based upon the gender of the respective individual. Ultimately, the case would become the economics of gender and how it plays out for everyone. How an individual may find themselves, at any point in their live, judged not for their work as the primary reason but rather, would see the judgment placed upon them, in the form of such things as monetary compensation, be based upon their gender. Statistics have also outlined throughout history, in terms of the issue of earning capacity of individuals that would belong to a specific race, or nationality of origin. As the present state of the American economy would make it so that more and more people would be further assessing the influences that impact the economy as a whole, the consideration of race and gender in terms of the economy’s performance, would be all the more important to look at. Question B Group participation projects can be very beneficial in terms of getting the full spectrum of the issue at hand. The advantage being the opportunity to harness the opinions of the group members as they work together and create a product for the rest of the class to view. As for the role taken personally in terms of my participation within the creation of the group project, I would have to say that I did my very best and sought to be an active participant, both within my own group, as well as being engaged in the presentation of other group projects, through means of asking questions when necessary. Not only holding myself personally to the same level of accountability but also to the same level that I would seek to hold others to that would have been in the class at the same time as I was. The disadvantage of group presentations would be that, as they are set up, it can lead to the potential of personal bias coming in the way of factual work being completed. Personal issues may come to the forefront in terms of the quest to achieve the status of being the most dominant person within the group. Such behaviors exhibited that would translate into the final product that would be created and in turn, shown to the rest of the class. Question F As for the issue involving the introduction of women into what would have normally been considered to be a male profession that would likely be, in most part, due to the desire of man women, to step outside of their traditional roles, as they were seen and in turn, make known to the general populous that they were in fact capable doing more than what others may have thought they were before. The desire to, like men, become self-sufficient and at the end of the day, is able to provide a living for themselves and those who rely upon them. The ability to be judged based upon something other than their gender, as a means of gauging their abilities as well as their competencies. For men, their concern as to the issue of taking over roles more commonly set aside for women that also would be deeply rooted within the societal stereotype of what a man should be and what a woman should be. From the beginning, many men are instilled with the belief that, as the man, it would be their responsibility to provide for their loved ones. They would in fact be considered to be the ‘bread winner’. They would be taught, through society influence, to identify themselves with the role of being the worker, as well as the provider. To step instead into the role more likely held by their female counterpart, the male most likely, either within himself or made to feel that way by others, would potentially feel a sense of being less than what he should be. Rather than being the primary person within the household, he would be left feeling that, with such a change that would ultimately make him less of a human being somehow. Men wish to feel as strong as they are able to and if that seems to be lacking or gone completely, then they fall within the void of identity and begin to question their position within the cultural existence. Both men and women wish to understand and solidify their place in society as a whole but in that respect, each remain with unique perspectives as to where and how they should engage the world. Question G The strongest change within the modern family within the last 30-40 years would be the cases of those who are comprised of not one but both parents working in the outside workforce. In the age of ‘Leave It To Beaver’, it would have remained commonplace to see one parent working in the outside world, while the job of the other, would have been the maintaining of the household, along with the caring of the children. In recent years especially, with the change in the economic landscape for one, many households have found themselves with the need to have both of the adult individuals in the household, working to support the needs of the household and the families that reside within them. The causes in essence would be the evolution of the roles. Beforehand, it would have been expected that the woman would be the one to stay home, while the male would be in the outside world. With the cultural changes in role definition, along with the presence of changing economic needs, it would have been essential to have both working at the same time, so that the basic needs and desires are met. Question I As the rate of divorce within the United States would remain on the high side, the ability to provide for the children of these divorces would remain a relevant issue to consider. As two individuals make the ultimate decision to separate, one of the first considerations given, if the two produced any children throughout the course of their relationship, would be the arrangement of custody agreements and the outlining of support to be given from the non-custodial parent to the parent that would be responsible for the care and wellbeing of the children on a full time basis. In other words, determining the level of child support that would be paid towards the children, both in terms of the amount that would be paid and also, the points in time at which the payments would be made. Many counties and states have found the instance of child support payment negligence running high, so alterations have been made to the monitoring and enforcement of the child support payment system. The considerable pro in this case, would be the victory for the children in question. Despite the separation of their parents, they would still be able to be cared for, not only by the parent they would reside with primarily but also, the parent that they would see the rest of the time, would still be active in their life and as such, would be providing the necessary monetary assistance for the very needs that these children would have in order to survive. It makes known to those involved, both men and women that the process of child support payments is incredibly important and something that should be taken seriously. Providing the options needed to handle those individuals that would elect to shy away from their known responsibilities to their children and instead, shy away from the need to be accountable to the children that rely upon them. The system would be incredibly beneficial in cases where parents would be seriously delinquent in terms of their required payments to be made. A potential con in the case of this discussion, would be the lack of a system where it would be able to differentiate between those who would have been largely responsible for their accountability but slipped in sparse occasions and others that would have shown no sign from the beginning of wishing to honor their part in the issue and instead, would act in such a manner that would place undue burden even further upon the primary parent and the state and local officials in the area that would be required to step in and help in such cases of blatant neglect of duty. Life, in itself, remains a continuous learning process. A process that includes the observation of the multiple facets that comprise the society that everyone would call home. The consideration given to the economic landscape of the genders and how each gender can see a different level of compensation for work performed. How their nationality can also influence the discrepancy in monetary earnings, thus working to form the bigger picture of behaviors shown by others in response to factors that would influence individuals to act a certain way in situations. Read More