The Economist

Mr. Ogden’s talk tonight was a different perspective than most of the presentations. He had us read Hanna Rosen’s article, The End of Men. It discusses a new revolution women have been waiting for, in that women are finally rising to the top in the world. After almost 200,000 years women are outworking the patriarchy and the economy is following their lead. According to the New York Times Article on Hanna Rosen’s book, it is “the first time in history, the global economy is a place where women are finding more success than men”. The article pointed out that for every 2 male college graduates there are 3 women, women in India are learning English faster than men, and “women own more than 40 percent of private businesses in China”. All of these statistics are not arguable. The economist perspective is interesting when studying womens studies because it is hard to find a subject or area in this class that cannot be argued. For me personally, these statistics were shocking considering the history of womens’ roles in the world. 

In the subject of gender roles in generations, I found it shocking how Rosen points out that 75% of parents prefer to have girls over boys. At least in my family, my grandfather put pressure on my dad to have at least one boy so the family name could continue, however he ended up with 3 girls. It is important to note that whether people like it or not the world is changing. In class we noted that over a broad spectrum of family dynamics, there are different values. For example Mr. Ogden shared how at home he does the laundry, dishes and cooks meals while his wife handles most of the economic bills. However, in my house my dad handles the bills while my sisters and I do most of the laundry and cooking. Although Mr. Ogden’s talk was mainly based on women rising in the world, I also liked how he tied in the generational piece to this, because it is important to think about. Ancestors are always with us, and they can shape our beliefs whether they are similar or completely different. Regarding women rising in the world, there are plenty of arguments concerning how women do not receive equal treatment as men. 

Opinions aside, I enjoyed how this presentation focused on positive evidence of the female gender in the workforce. In the end, statistics are statistics, and whether people like it or not evidence shows that women are rising in the world. What stuck out to me in the presentation was the comment Rosen says in her Ted Talk about “She’s the man”. She showed how a woman’s salary of $85,000 and her husbands was $12,000. Her point was not to prove how this particular woman was making more than a man, but it was shown to men by an instructor, and it really surprised them. Men may have difficulty coping with this change in the economy, but it is important to recognize and accept it. Gender itself does not always have to be about a competition of money and achievement, but I think competition among gender can be used as a motivator. For example, because of the long history of women staying at home to tend the children and home, a lot of young women are motivated to work hard and do well for themselves because they want something more than that. This drive is changing the world, and whether people like it or not, women are becoming confident leaders all around the world.