I think that in poor countries, Mexico for example,
violations are brutal.  Just consider the new type of
genocide invented by drug dealers (with the complicity
of quite a few politicians).  In the Northern cities
of Mexico hundreds of women are tortures and killed
for apparently no reason.  The police in Mexico can
and will always find "subversive individuals" now
called "terrorists", buy funny enough, they can not
find the perpetrators of these atrocities.
  
Without going so far, women in the United States,
Mexico and other countries will always have to juggle
with work, school and children.  Apparently we have to
be good mothers, good workers and good students.  Is
quality child care available for the majority of women
who work to make ends meet?
I think that a major impact in the life of a woman
will be the miracle of becoming a mother.  But, the
demands without the support can become quite
overwhelming.  
There is a wonderful organization in New York City
called IMPACT (Agenda for Children Tomorrow).  Women
are taught to speak to legislators, laws regarding
housing, child care and government support are
discussed with them.  These women are really terrific
and although difficult, I am sure they will eventually
have some impact in the laws regarding child care. 
One of the most beautiful aspects of the program was
its diversity.  A real sisterhood of women of
different colors and backgrounds was formed among
them. I interacted with this organization only as a
translator but it was a real honor to work for them.

Again, childcare seems to affect a great majority of
women.  Especially in the first years of children's
lives.  Why is the United States such a laggard vis a
vis other developed economies such as Germany and
France.?   Mexico is not any better, except that we
put the burden on other women, grandmothers, aunts,
sisters, and maids.  

In a book called "Mothers and wives, nuns, prisoners,
prostitutes and nuts" Marcela Lagarde examines one
case.  In a nutshell she shows the effect of poverty
on women and the consequences of lack of institutional
support.  Overall the book is an analysis of women in
Mexico nowadays.  I don't think it is dated even
though it was published in the 90's. 

To the point.  A young woman arrives home from work. 
She also has to cook and leaves the child (not more
than a year old) in her crib with the bottle in her
mouth while she works fast in the kitchen.  When she
goes back to the bedroom the child has drowned with
the milk.  She goes to the hospital immediately and
the child is pronounced dead.  They request the birth
certificate.  She goes home to get it, but instead she
hangs herself out of guilt and sorrow.  

One could say "what a stupid woman", "how could she
not know" etc, etc.  But, there are other questions.
Under what circumstances was she raising her child?
How much information did she have access to?  

Every mother knows that we become as such experts at
doing quite a few things at the same time when
children are very small.  So, even if we marry at a
mature age, raising a child will be difficult.  
Poverty will make things a lot more challenging.  Not
providing women with quality child care is a real bias
towards us.  This lack of institutional support shows
how little governments care for the efforts that many
women are making to put food on the table, to be good
mothers, to be good wives, to be good workers...etc. 
Truly we are free labor force in the workforce.  We
are pivotal in the social reproduction of the family
but we do not get a double salary.  Instead we double
our hours, and get less money in the job market. 

More on the lack of funding for crucial social
services because of governments' more important
priorities.  

Nadia Quiroz-Colby 
from Houston, Texas
Instructor on assignment
Houston Community College
--- Michael Tate <mtate at sbctc.edu> wrote:


> I think this kind of discrimination is supported by

> agrarian economics.

> 

> 

> I'm wondering if a pool of investors (similar to

> Heifer and other

> microfinance orgs) were to band together offering

> "small" investments to

> fathers/families that would be considered "paid in

> full" if their

> daughters graduate from high  school, remain

> unmarried until the age of

> 18, and maybe also remain childless.  The terms of

> the agreement could

> be changed to suit local situations, but the point

> would be to offer an

> economic reward for maintaining the civil rights of

> girls and young

> women.

> 

> -----Original Message-----

> From: povertyracewomen-bounces at nifl.gov

> [mailto:povertyracewomen-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf

> Of Daphne Greenberg

> Sent: Friday, April 04, 2008 6:56 PM

> To: povertyracewomen at nifl.gov

> Subject: [PovertyRaceWomen 2011] Bias Against Women

> 

> According to a BBC article found at:

> http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7331813.stm

> 

> "Women are discriminated against in almost every

> country around the

> world, a UN-commissioned report says. It says that

> this is despite the

> fact that 185 UN member states pledged to outlaw

> laws favouring men by

> 2005. It adds that 70% of the world's poor are women

> and they own just

> 1% of the world's titled land. The report, which was

> prepared for UN

> Human Right Commissioner Louise Arbour, says rape

> within marriage has

> still not been made a crime in 53 nations."

> 

> The BBC article goes on to say:

> ".. even basic laws like the legal ages for marriage

> could have a huge

> impact on women's lives. Many states still have

> different ages of

> marriage for young women then they have for young

> men, and the age for

> girls is always lower then the age for boys. This

> leads to violations,

> for example of a girls' right education, if she has

> to leave school at

> 14 to get married, and this impacts upon her life

> chances. It ends up

> being a life-long violation of her rights in terms

> of forfeiting

> education, having children too early, possibly being

> damaged herself."

> 

> Anyone have any thoughts about this, vis-a-vis our

> learners?

> 

> Daphne

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>