Individual\'s Overall Quality of Life

Individual's Overall Quality Of Life

There are several disparities that exist between the different genders. This has been shown in current research whereby they have found that there are many social factors which are the same across the different genders. Like illness for males, income and status also plays a huge role in determining the quality of life. One study that was conducted reinforced the negative influence of poverty on the quality of life for females and highlighted that this was not the case for males. Another important finding in this study was that females residing in rural or suburban areas are less likely to rate their quality of life as good as compared to those who live in urban areas. This is what led the justice commissioner of the EU (European Union), Viviane Reding, to invite all companies that are publicly listed to sign a pledge form which meant they would increase the percentage of women on their boards to thirty percent by the year 2015 and 40% by the year 2020. As of April of 2012, 24 companies had signed this pledge the Economist "Women in Business: Waving a Big Stick" 77()

Ms. Reding also launched on the 5th of March a three-month consultation of the public which sought to find out which measures are appropriate to increase the number of women in boardrooms. Before this launch, only about 13.7% of the board members of large companies in the EU countries were women. However, this was an increase from the 8.5% for the year 2003. Additionally, female presidents and chairwomen of boards are even rarer. They stand at 3.2% up from 1.6% in 2003. However, education rates of women are increasing with 60% of all new graduates in the EU being women. It is estimated that women enter many of their occupations in numbers that are roughly equal to those of their men the Economist "Women in Business: Waving a Big Stick" 77()

Ms. Reding's plea came from the many research studies that had shown that when women are given senior positions in boards, the companies end up being more successful than those which do not have women in their boards. Unfortunately, there is no proof of any causal relationship the Economist "Women in Business: Waving a Big Stick" 77()

Norway, though not a member of the EU recently increased the quota of women on boards. This was done about a decade ago which increased the percentage of women on boards from 9% in the year 2003 to the 40% that it currently stands. Other countries in the EU have also followed the example of Norway. Notably, there is France which brought legislation less than a year ago that listed companies and large ones that are unlisted must have at least 20% of board seats for women and 40% by 2017. This led to a boost in the number of women on French boards from 12% in the year 2011 to 22%. Spain and Netherlands are also notable examples which have introduced such laws but without stipulating any stiff penalties the Economist "Women in Business: Waving a Big Stick" 77()

For men, on the other hand, quality of life can be thought to be decreasing at an alarming rate. More than 80% of job losses in the U.S. that have occurred since November of 2009 have fallen on men. This is according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. These numbers are similar to those in Europe which add to about 7 million more men who are out of work than before the recession. This was a result of economic sectors which are dominated majorly by men such as heavy manufacturing and construction feeling the effects of the recession more adversely thatn the sectors that are dominated by women such as education, healthcare and public-sector employment. By the end of the year 2009, the global recession put about 28 million men out of jobs in the whole world Salam 630()

The situations is continuing to become worse as a result of the pain that globalization causes adding onto the pain of the recession. This is to mean that between 30 and 40 million more jobs are expected to be lost in the U.S. As a result of heavy outsourcing to third world countries that provide cheap labor. The situation for men is also worsened by the fact that men are falling behind on the acquisition of educational credentials which are necessary for the success in the post-recession world. This is why there are more female college graduates than males Salam 630()

The public health department states that the financial burden of unemployment is more likely to be felt by men and it also causes adverse effects to the mental and physical health of men than on women Salam 630.

Additionally, there is a global shift in power from males to females and this is likely to be aggravated by the economic crisis as more and more people continue to discover that the kind of risk-seeking and aggressive behavior that has helped men get power has now been proven to be destructive and unsustainable especially in this globalized world Salam 631()

For the gays, quality of life has also improved significantly. Gays have for many days suffered discrimination and the fear of coming out of the closet regarding their condition. However, their situation is not as it was 15 years ago. This is because public opinion has growth faster than how public policy has grown. In the year 2003, the government repealed the law which banned any teaching that suggested homosexuality was acceptable. Seven years later in the year 2010, the government passed an act which banned all kinds of discrimination known as the Equality Act. This suggests an improvement in the quality of life that gays live the Economist "Homophobia: Its Getting Better" 69()