Audrey Harris

Gender Inequality: France Vs. Brazil

Gender equality is a prevalent part of countries and communities on an international
scale. Although gender inequality is found everywhere, the levels of inequality differ in core and
periphery countries. Research shows that factors such as education, poverty, maternal mortality
rates, division of labor etc. influence the differentiation of gender inequality in France and
Brazil.
In both countries, education is divided into three stages but the requirements of education
and the enrollment rate are different in each place. The enrollment and participation rate in
schools in both places is higher for females but its only in core countries where you find almost
alls students going through high school. In France, poverty has fallen 60% in the past 30 years.
In 2011 only 7.9% of the population were living under the poverty line. In Brazil, 21% of the
population live under the poverty line and 4.2% live under what is referred to as the extreme
poverty line. This causes many children specifically in rural areas of the country to work and
support their family instead of going to school and getting an education. This is why in many
public schools in Brazil there is a higher attendance rate of girls to boys. Health care can also be
an influential piece of gender inequality vs. gender equality. France has a universal health care
system that is regarded by many as one of the best in the world. It is able to cover everyone in
France and offer the best care they can. In Brazil they too have a government funded healthcare
system but the quality of the treatment received may be lower than the treatment given to those
who can afford a private hospital. 70% of Brazilians use public clinics and hospitals and only
30% are able to use public hospitals. The healthcare situation in each country coincides with the
given numbers of maternal mortality which are 8 deaths for every 100,000 live births in France
and 53 deaths for every 100,000 live births in Brazil. Health care also affects the life expectancy
of a country. The average life expectancy in France is 81.66 years old (about 78.5 males and 85
females) which is the 15th highest life expectancy in the world. Research shows that the leading
cause of death in France is Lung Cancer and not something such as domestic violence or abuse
against women. The average life expectancy of Brazilians 73.28 years old (71 males 77.8
females) which is the 126th highest in the world with heart disease as the leading cause of death
and violence against women as the 6th. In both countries, division of labor very different. In
France there is no work for people under 14 years of age but it is very common for older teens to
hold small summer jobs or apprenticeships. There arent any laws restricting women from
holding certain positions and many government leaders in France and Europe are women. In
Brazil, it is a different story. Often times young children are kept out of school so that they can
go work and earn a living for their family and there are several cases of girls being married off at
a very young age. Violence against women is also a sign of gender inequality. France is found to
be 1/13 countries where 20-29% of women report physical or sexual violence. This number does
not however include those who have be abused who have not spoken up for any number of
reasons. Research shows that Brazil is the country with the 7th highest rate of violence against
women. Cultural norms are also ways of showing inequality or equality in a country. The most
widely spread religion in both religions is Catholicism. In france 4% of the population are
unaffiliated with a religion and in Brazil only about 1% are. Child brides may or may not be a
cultural norm is different countries. In France research shows that the marrying off of younger
underage girls with or without their consent is not a commonly practiced routine. However,
Brazil is one of the top 10 countries with some of the highest absolute numbers of child brides
(4/10). About 877,000 girls (11%) are married before they reach age 15 and about 36% are
married by the time they are 18 years of age. Language is another cultural norm found
everywhere. In France the official most widely spoken language is French and in Brazil it is
Portuguese. As previously stated, France is not experiencing having a lot of their population
living under the poverty line, but Brazil is experiencing higher numbers. For children in both
countries there are mandatory stages of schooling and education, but certain circumstances may
prohibit children from receiving that education. In France 100% of the population has access to
clean drinking water and sanitation. In brazil 87% of the urban population has access and only
13% of the rural population has access to these facilities. Finally, family planning is also a large
reflective part of gender inequality. In France there is a 76.4% prevalence of contraception use.
There have been pro-natalist policies put in place to try to increase the younger generation to
prevent an aging population. The prevalence of contraceptive use in Brazil is 80% most likely
due to the fact that many more people are living in poverty and they cant afford to care for
another child.
Some of these statistics make is easy to believe that gender inequality is not a huge
problem in these two countries. However other statistics show that this is not true. I propose that
in order to put an end to gender inequality in both countries, there needs to be harsher laws and
punishments against child brides as well as violence against women. I also believe that the
promotion of education, discouragement of child labor, the importance of finishing school as
well as making education for everybody more available should be put in place. In more periphery
countries, universal health care systems and higher quality health care systems should be made
cheaper and more easily accessible for everyone.