1) How would you convey the message of the book “Half the Sky” to family, friends, and colleagues?
This book is a crucial dose of reality for those of us that are spoiled by the comforts we have grown used too. Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn explain in the book “Half the Sky” why empowering women in the developing world is ethically right and extremely vital.It is a gripping story of how customs and culture have historically oppressed women. The strength of the human rights movement and of actual change across all cultures is going to be asteadfast task of courageous women who give themselves permission to say no to so many years of unthinkable tyrannical cultural customs and fight for a new way of life. Many of us close our eyes
According to Susan Carbon, Director of the United States Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women, “One in every four women has experienced severe physical violence by a current or former spouse/boyfriend. One in five women has been raped in their lifetimes, and nearly 1.3 million women in the U.S. are raped every year.” (Kanani, 2012)It is also similar because across the globe, women are starting to change the way they are being treated just as women did and are doing in the United States. For instance, Soraya Salti, a Jordanian woman, is promoting entrepreneurship in middle schools and high schools. Her program teaches kids how to own and operate small businesses and is especially helpful to young girls because of the discrimination they face in the job market. (Kristof, Nicholas D and WuDunn, Sheryl, 2009) 7) How is poverty in the countries featured in “Half the Sky” different from poverty in the United States? How is it similar?
In the United States, “a family is counted as poor if its pretax money income is below its poverty threshold. Money income does not include noncash benefits such as public housing, Medicaid, employer-provided health insurance and food stamps.” (National Poverty Center, 2012) Women’s gains in educational attainment have significantly outpaced those of men over the last 40 years. Today, younger women are more