When it comes to human dignity, Western European societies agree without questioning. In this line, the European Union stated their goals to combat a broad spectrum of discrimination in article 13 of the 1997 Amsterdam Declaration: “Without prejudice to the other provisions of this Treaty and within the limits of the powers conferred by it upon the Community, the Council, acting unanimously on a proposal from the Commission and after consulting the European Parliament, may take appropriate action to combat discrimination based on sex, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation.”
The Amsterdam declaration was a consequence of observable increasing prejudices and discriminations of minority groups in Western and Eastern Europe.
But a recent survey by Bielefeld Institute held among 8000 EU citizens in 8 of the 27 EU countries reveals that almost 50 percent of them believe there are too many immigrants in their countries. Forty-three percent reject equal rights for gays and lesbians.
Prejudice was strongest in East European countries. People in the Netherlands were the least prejudiced.
Most prejudice was demonstrated against Islam. More than half the people interviewed thought Islam is an intolerant religion. And 22 percent thought most Muslims feel terrorism is justified.
Attitudes to Judaism are more positive with 62 percent of people saying the religion enriched their culture.
There are huge differences between various EU countries. For instance 88 percent of Poles oppose single sex marriages, whereas in the Netherlands 83 percent were positive about gay marriage.
You can simple not talk about ONE European or Europeans are all the same.
Recent surveys in Turkey show more dramatically figures with 70% of the people don't want to live near a Jew and around 50% don't want to live next to a Christian. But state neighbours?.)!
Another interesting fact is that 87 percent of Poles think women should take their role as mothers more seriously. In Germany 50 percent of people share these conservative views and in the Netherlands 36 percent do.
I think Poland, one of the few EU countries I never visited, are on the same level and to a certain degree share the same conservative views as Turkey.
Monday, November 16, 2009
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4 comments:
As western countries look into Happiness of women from non-western countries, most of the conclusions find their references in western models as underlying statement. The rest of the world will have to follow these models according to reach this western philosophical paradise. In this wonderfull world money seems to be the ultimate value. And it is when studying its distribution between men and women that our bliss is growing dark.
It is obvious, poverty is not neutral in western countries, it has a gender : it strikes first women population, no matter what definition we give to poverty. Eurostat and european countries generaly use the poverty line at 60% of the median standard of living. This definition described a few years earlier poverty of people who don’t have jobs. Nowadays people can be poor and have a job therefore new definitions must be considered, and salary could be successfull part of the definition. With this new signification we see that women allways earn 25% less than their men colleagues and often work part time underlying they need the rest of the time for the family, part-time jobs are often constrained, undergone.
Also more women are unemployed, 9,6% in 2006 (8% of men) very often because employers think of them as “ potentially pregnant”. How do women do when they have so little for them and their family ? For 56% of divorced women don’t have work and 22% have a part time job : these women don’t carry a “poor” board on their front – unlike home less people and the visible poverty – but have the worst difficulties to survive with their children.
Most affected women with poverty resort to benefits, black jobs, or both and sometimes stealing in shops. Younger women stand in a “unravel” way of thinking and they don’t have the needs of their olders. For these young women poverty is felt as painless mostly because they still live at home when parents can provide. In any case restriction, be able to eat, rule their daily life.
Then what is the attitude of people born, raised and living in these western paradises ?
Answering the question : why is there still poverty in rich countries ? the general answer is : poor people are what they are because of lack of will.
Answering the question : why women are more numerous facing poverty ? the general answer is or rather is not because this statement is very controversial. Therefore measures for more satisfactory situations are out of any considering.
As feminism becomes a philosophical modern term it seems easier to teach non-western countries women our ways to seek happiness before we lose all control over this very abstract goal in life.
Marie,
The West is a comprehensive expression.
The situation regarding in Nordic countries and the Netherlands and Germany are different than in the south of Europe, on many levels.
Kindest
see also Brooke Manianti " Belle de Jour : Guide to Men ", how she lived to be able to finish her PhD on cancer feminin cells.
www.afaemme.org
www.unifem.org
www.iknowpolitics.org
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