‘The Big Plan’

Together we can end GENDER INEQUALITY by 2086!

Dreamer | M00690321 | Blog 1

Governments and other non-governmental organisations (NGO’s) around the world have a ‘plan’ to acknowledge and integrate (un.org, 2022) the 50% of global population that has been ignored for thousands of years, WOMEN! How will this be possible when most decision-makers in public and private sphere (weforum.org, 2022) are men?! How this historic issue created by patriarchy will be eliminated within the next 64 years (O’Brien, 2020, p. 244) when both males and females have been living on planet earth for thousands of years?! Why now?! Is there a need for women to contribute to the global political economy? Are women suitable to hold leadership positions? 

Feminists have plaid a huge part in global change with some thinkers believing that it started with ancient Greeks since 570 BCE (Rampton, 2015) nevertheless, we are now thousands of years later, and many women globally are nowhere near to being equal to men! United Nations (UN) held four international conferences, Mexico City 1975, Copenhagen 1980, Nairobi 1985, and Beijing 1995 (O’Brien, 2020, p. 246) and only at the last conference goals were made clear to design, implement, and monitor participation of women globally. Amending all policies to accommodate and integrate women and designing specific programmes to target the complex cultural differences and point out the importance of women in global political economy. Feminists are still fighting across the world criticising patriarchy for ignoring gender issues faced by females on national and international level (O’Brien, 2020, p.239). Realism, liberalism, and Marxism theories are seen by feminists as “gender blind” because it did not address women or gender issues therefore it is insufficient. Realism focused on nation-states and separation of politics and economy, liberalism focused on separation of state and market, and Marxism also ignored male and female workers. This could be justified as an error, but the reality is that this is a systematic approach in maintaining power and control in public by holding the jobs and in private by economic control!

Trade liberalisation have enabled more women to participate in work, but this meant low-paid, low-skilled jobs with poor conditions, no job security, and no progression up the ladder of wealth and power! Trade affects men and women differently due to historic and current gender inequalities in access to land, information, economic resources, and decision-making (Randriamaro, 2006, p.11). This may look like progress and great opportunity for many women however, those women who will participate in employment they are still expected to have more responsibility within the household (Germano, 2019). This is a huge setback for females around the world because being employed means taking another job on top of all the other household responsibilities and remain powerless and poor, and only end up doing all the jobs that males have no interest in doing. 

Societies have different views on femininity and masculinity, the first is seen as caring, submissive, feeling, weakness and private life whereas, the second is seen as controlling, aggressive, thinking, strength and public life (O’Brien, 2020, p. 237). If any of this would represent genders 100%, we would be living in paradise and not in chaos! Although males and females differ in traits and personalities, we cannot claim that no women can be aggressive, controlling, ability to think, strong and able to be a leader in the public sphere. Similarly, we cannot assume that all men cannot have traits that are associated with femininity. It all comes down to individual capability rather then gender alone. Therefore, closing the doors to 50% of talented people globally based on assumptions is not acceptable. 

Employment trends do show a rise in females being employed globally but only in specific sectors such as education, health and social care (ILO, 2017, p. 2). These job creations and the so-called doors opening for women in employment looks good however as reported by NHS in 2021 gender gap pay was still there (NHS UK, 2021). It is also important to mention that majority of HR staff has been and is dominated by females (peoplematter.com, 2022) but majority of these females also receive less pay compared to males. For example, in USA 70% of HR managers are females and 30% males, yet males do get paid about $84,000 p/a compared to females about $79,000 p/a (zippa.com, 2022). If females cannot break the ‘glass ceiling’ in a sector dominated by them what hope is there in other sectors?! Historically yes, females were directly discriminated (Equality Act 2010, p. 7) however nowadays (at least in developed societies) there are many factors that affects the pay gap. For example, females are more likely to accept the pay offered whereas males would negotiate pay. Females are more likely to take part-time jobs or take more time out of work when they start family which in the long run means less work experience, while males do not take such long breaks. Males also do tend to work more hours which adds up to them gaining more work experience. The other sector that females dominate globally is sex trade that is believed to generate an estimate profit of $99 billion annually which excludes pornography and the exploitation of females and children against their will (O’Brien, 2020, p. 254). Majority of money is taken by pimps and very little goes towards women! 

Can we end gender inequality by 2086? Yes, but only if females were equal at home first and if laws and policies are implemented. Nonetheless, the sad truth is that it will take much longer than 64 years! 

References

1. United Nations, Do You Know All 17 SDGs? (Accessed 2022). https://sdgs.un.org/goals
2. World Economic Forum (2022) Global Gender Gap Report 2022. https://www.weforum.org/reports/global-gender-gap-report-2022/in-full/2-5-gender-gaps-in-political-representation/
3. O’Brien, R. and Williams, M. (2020) Global Political Economy, Evolution and Dynamics. Red Globe Press.
4. Rampton, M. (2015) Pacific University Oregon, Four Waves of Feminism. https://www.pacificu.edu/magazine/four-waves-feminism 
5. Randriamaro, Z. (2006) Gender and trade (Brighton: Institute of Development Studies).
6. Germano, M., (2019) Women Are Working More Than Ever, But They Still Take on Most Household Responsibilities. https://www.forbes.com/sites/maggiegermano/2019/03/27/women-are-working-more-than-ever-but-they-still-take-on-most-household-responsibilities/?sh=263af4c052e9
7. ILO (2017) World Employment Social Outlook: Trends For Women 2017 (Geneva: ILO).                                                                    https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/—dgreports/—dcomm/—publ/documents/publication/wcms_541211.pdf                                                      
8. NHS UK (2021) Gender Pay Gap Report (2021).                                                                               https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/B0986_iii_Gender-Pay-Gap-Report_2021.pdf
9. People Matters (2022) Here’s Why Women Continue to Dominate HR World.                                    https://www.peoplematters.in/article/diversity/heres-why-women-continue-to-dominate-the-hr-world-35119
10. Zippa The Career Expert (2022) Human Resources Manager Demographics and Statistics in The US.                                                               https://www.zippia.com/human-resources-manager-jobs/demographics/

Climate Change and Capitalism

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Our Addiction Is Killing us

Introduction

Capitalism has brought about such immeasurable advancements in humanity that it would be foolish not to recognize the technological leaps thanks to it. But something that should immediately be brought up is our addiction to fossil fuels and how capitalism is leading us to further and further dependence on it. Even when in the face of the peril of multiple species capitalism isn’t able to curb its over-indulgent reliance on fossil fuels. 

An Imminent Nightmare 

The predominant way people treat climate change is as if it weren’t a very real thing that is going to affect every single country and its industries. It’s as if it were some abstract thought experiment and not a real, actual threat to our daily lives but its effects are already being felt. In the U.S. climate change is already affecting agriculture with $440 million worth of cattle drowning due to heavy rainfall in Nebraska and farmers only planting 67% of corn crops in 2019 compared to 96% planted the year before (Cho 2019). On top of this in 2018 8 million people died due to fossil fuel air pollution (Harvard 2021). But the siren song of fossil fuels is too much for us to abstain from continuing to consume fossil fuels as the main source of energy. It’s like some sort of mystical spell has warped the minds of these companies that make profits off of them to not see the impending doom that we are headed for. But one doesn’t need to look to supernatural explanations to understand why corporations are so blind to these effects. ExxonMobil, an American oil and gas company, that also knew about climate change and the greenhouse effect as early as the 1970s (Black 1978) announced their third-quarter earnings of this year to be almost $20 billion (Exxonmobil 2022). It’s clear from this that even though they have made groundbreaking scientific discoveries equivalent to finding a tumor early before it becomes a significant problem the profit motive under capitalism is enough to filter these pesky ideas of preserving the environment. It’s all about the benjamins baby and if you can’t see that by now you must be buying into the climate change disinformation that our old friends at ExxonMobil spends $37 million on per year since 1998 (Negin 2020). When looking at this one may be compelled to be reminded of one of the theories by Karl Marx, the theory of base and superstructure. This is a relationship between what Marx saw as the basis of society being the economic system and the ideology it creates. Since capitalism and the society it creates for itself is reliant on fossil fuels we could see that what ExxonMobil is doing is what is clearly in the best interest of the company. 

The world’s poorest nations are going to see the effects of climate change the most due to the consumption and pollution of the richest nations (Singh 2019). It’s almost funny how this distinction between the world’s richest and the worlds poorest seems to constantly be around every corner of this issue.

What we need to have a more critical eye on is how this behaviour is even encouraged in the first place. Why should we continue to suffer with a system while among other things allows and even rewards this kind of behavior and negligence? What is now needed in this time of gloom and despair for the future is action at the industrial level. Only this way is it even feasible that changes would begin to happen. 

Bibliography

Cho. R (2019) “How Climate Change Impacts the Economy” 

Harvard (2021) ”Fossil fuel air pollution responsible for 1 in 5 deaths worldwide”

F Black. J (1978) “The Greenhouse Effect” 

ExxonMobil (2022) “3Q 2022 Earnings Release”

Negin. E (2020) “ExxonMobil Claims Shift on Climate But Continues to Fund Climate Science Deniers”

Singh. H (2018) “Solving the climate crisis means tackling global inequality”

What Are the Effects of Inflation on Generation Z?

Article by M00893916

Image by rawpixel.com on Freepik

With the cost of living growing rapidly due to the aftermath of COVID-19 and the ongoing war in Ukraine, many people are struggling to pay for basic necessities such as housing, food and energy. Their prices have risen so much that people often have to forego expenses for unnecessary things such as leisure activities or higher quality and premium goods. They also save on things like energy and fuel and increasingly use alternative options, e.g. public transport. One of the most affected groups is Generation Z, whose members are currently reaching working age and starting to become independent from their parents.

What is inflation?

According to Encyclopædia Britannica (2022), we generally understand inflation as an “inordinate rise in the general level of prices”. Simply put, inflation reduces the value of money over time, so one pound buys you less today than it did a year ago. In general, it is believed that an acceptable inflation rate is around 2 % (Federal Reserve System, 2011). In October 2022, the annual inflation rate in the European Union rose to 11.5 %, while a year earlier, it was just 4.4 % (Eurostat, 2022). And we could see a similar rapid year-on-year increase all over the world. If we focus on the eurozone, where the annual inflation in October 2022 was 10.6 %, we will see the highest inflation since its formation in 1999 (Broom, 2022).

What effects of inflation are we currently facing?

Due to extremely high inflation, the cost of living prices rose unexpectedly. For which few were prepared. It’s no wonder that most people were caught off guard by this year’s inflation rate, as inflation is never completely predictable (Labonte and Weinstock, 2021). The highest annual inflation was observed for energy prices with a value of 41.9 %. Food prices then rose with 13.1% inflation. (Amaro, 2022) However, in addition to these basic goods, inflation also affects many other things that we commonly encounter during our lives. An important example is the interest rates we face when we take out a loan or mortgage. These have increased in recent months as a result of measures taken by central banks to bring inflation under control and moderate its growth (Reinicke, 2022). According to Spencer’s article (2022), an important issue related to inflation is also wage inflation. Although the rate of price inflation is currently high, the rate of wage inflation lags far behind it. Except for a select few, most employees are negatively affected and have to deal with a significant decline in the value of their earnings. In many cases, this means the necessity to lower their standard of living and limit their expenses to what is necessary. In extreme cases, this can lead to the inability to pay one’s obligations and falling into foreclosure. According to current data, more than a fifth of workers have a problem with securing their basic life needs, which proves that the cost of living crisis is an alarming problem that does not only affect the poorest population but has an impact on the whole society.

Why is it affecting Generation Z more than anyone else?

One of the most affected population groups is likely to be young people and students who belong to the demographic group of Generation Z. Generation Z usually refers to young people who were born between the end of the 1990s and early 2000s (Eldridge, 2022). These people are currently in a stage of their lives when they are studying and preparing for a future profession or they are already starting to work and becoming independent from their families. This is a part of life that is accompanied by major life changes and during which young people have to get used to being responsible for their own lives, finances and important decisions. The above-mentioned situation is challenging in itself, let alone when it is accompanied by an economic crisis. The prices of food, energy, rents and mortgages are higher than ever, and for that reason, it is really difficult for them to achieve better living conditions on their own. According to Munster’s article (2022), almost one-third of the working Generation Z uses around half of their income to pay for mortgages or rent. These expenses make it difficult for them to save money, and many have to resort to going into debt (whether with an institution or their relatives). They also often end up in circumstances where they simply cannot survive on their income and have to return to live with their parents. Many of them also have to deal with a situation where they are studying and paying tuition from student loans, and yet they have to work at the same time to provide for their basic needs. If nothing else, one thing is certain. Being a member of Generation Z in 2022 is more than challenging and puts a lot of pressure and stress on you.

And what’s next?

With the annual inflation rate over 10 % this autumn and the stagnating wage inflation, the cost of living is higher than ever. As a result, many people are struggling financially, and some have already hit rock bottom. One of the most affected groups is the young people of Generation Z, who are trying to become independent and stand on their own two feet, which is made much more difficult by the economic crisis. Although it can be assumed that inflation will decrease in the following years and the situation will gradually return to normal, society will still bear many consequences. Therefore, we can only hope that we all, especially the younger generation, will recover from this and find a way to achieve our dream standard of living.

References

Amaro, S. (2022) Euro zone inflation hits record high of 10.7% as growth slows sharply. Available at: https://www.cnbc.com/2022/10/31/euro-zone-inflation-hits-10point7percent-in-october-.html (Accessed: 13.12.2022).

Broom, D. (2022) Inflation in Europe: Could your morning coffee become a ‘luxury’? Available at: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/11/europe-inflation-coffee-cup/ (Accessed: 13.12.2022).

Eldridge, A. (2022) Generation Z. Available at: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Generation-Z (Accessed: 13.12.2022).

Encyclopædia Britannica (2022) Inflation. Available at: https://academic-eb-com.ezproxy.mdx.ac.uk/levels/collegiate/article/inflation/42394 (Accessed: 13.12.2022).

Eurostat (2022) Annual inflation up to 10.6% in the euro area. Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/2995521/15265521/2-17112022-AP-EN.pdf/b6953137-786e-ed9c-5ee2-6812c0f8f07f (Accessed: 13.12.2022).

Federal Reserve System (2011) What is an acceptable level of inflation? Available at: https://www.federalreserve.gov/faqs/5D58E72F066A4DBDA80BBA659C55F774.htm (Accessed: 13.12.2022).

Labonte, M. and Weinstock, L.R. (2021) Inflation in the Wake of COVID-19. Washington D.C.: Congressional Research Service. Available at: https://heinonline-org.ezproxy.mdx.ac.uk/HOL/Page?collection=covidcol&handle=hein.crs/goveelj0001&id=1&men_tab=srchresults (Accessed: 13.12.2022).

Munster, R. (2022) Gen Z Facing Mighty Struggle with Cost of Living Increases. Available at: https://www.moneyfit.org/slow-start-to-gen-z-financial-journey/ (Accessed: 13.12.2022).

Reinicke, C. (2022) Why the Federal Reserve raises interest rates to combat inflation. Available at: https://www.cnbc.com/2022/03/15/why-the-federal-reserve-raises-interest-rates-to-combat-inflation-.html (Accessed: 13.12.2022).

Spencer, D. (2022) Wages: Why are they not keeping up with inflation? Available at: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/06/wages-why-are-they-not-keeping-up-with-inflation (Accessed: 13.12.2022).

Marx Was Right!

The Capitalist Mode Of Production Is Doomed!

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The writings of Karl Marx, one of the greatest philosophers and social theorists in history, have been gaining steam again thanks to the surmounting crises that capitalism is so great at producing. The cost of living crisis in particular is playing out and has ushered in the wave of multiple industries to take action in their interest as workers. this has been so disruptive that the bourgeois media, whose job it is to shape the view that these demonstrations are harmful, can’t help themselves from not looking bad among the public when doing so, in fact, they are so bad at doing so 41 percent of brits tend to support this action and a majority support the action when put in its context (Smith 2022). 

It’s also been hard to ignore the crisis that is hanging over our heads like a nightmare, the climate crisis is bringing an oncoming future that we collectively act as if won’t happen. Our modern Pompeii, except we have known about this oncoming tragedy for almost 50 years (Black 1978). Capitalism’s incessant drive towards self-destruction, flagellating humanity at the altar of profit may be proof enough that capitalism is on its last legs.

Exploitation Of Resources

One aspect of Marx’s critique of capitalism that understandably gets overlooked is the tendency of capitalism to hunt hungrily for new resources constantly. In “The Communist Manifesto ” Marx and Engles make this point pretty concisely when talking about the crisis of overproduction “the conditions of bourgeois society are too narrow to comprise the wealth created by them. And how does the bourgeoisie get over these crises? On the one hand by enforced destruction of a mass of productive forces; on the other, by the conquest of new markets, and by the more thorough exploitation of the old ones. That is to say, by paving the way for more extensive and more destructive crises, and by diminishing the means whereby crises are prevented.” (Marx 1848) it is clear how this can be overlooked as an indictment of capitalism and its constant addict-like compulsion to find new resources. Still, its content makes such a compelling narrative on the exploitation of natural resources, that they are used to the point of exhaustion (overproduction) and are consequently discarded like an old toys. Is this not a brilliant explanation for our current situation with climate change and fossil fuels? The crisis of overproduction in this scenario seems to be the oncoming climate crisis that is already affecting people like in Bangladesh where tropical cyclones cost them up to 1 billion USD annually (WorldBank 2022). The fact that this seems like a more viable solution than making the reasonable adjustments needed to prevent these issues such as dropping our addiction to fossil fuels is so absurd it’s almost laughable if it weren’t for the very grim road it sets for our future.

Exploitation Of The Proletariat 

Marx believed that human beings are separated from animals in many ways but the first way they begin to demonstrate this difference is through the labour they preform to adapt to the material conditions set before them, and this labour is a necessary part of the human experience. Where capitalism is unique is the division of two unique classes, the bourgeoisie Aka the owners of the means of production, and the proletariat aka people who have nothing to sell on the market but their labour. this division is the basis for the exploitation that occurs. (Marx 1932)

The exploitation of the proletariat is a topic that has been endlessly studied and with good reason. The brilliance of the social critique that has been influenced and pulled directly from Marx is more than vast. Marx believed that the proletariat was exploited by the bourgeoisie. He demonstrates this by flipping the labour theory value on its head by putting the focus on the workers instead of the bourgeoisie. He shows that workers are always contributing more than they earn, giving the bourgeoisie what is known as surplus value. This surplus value is used viewed as profit by the bourgeoisie and is the source of their wealth. The proletariat is completely removed from the fruits of their labour leaving them to feel as if they are no more than the machines used around them, this is what Marx called alienation. Alienation from their products shapes the proletariat into something similar to Nietzsche’s last man, a state of being in which a man  pursues only superficial pleasures and does not pursue any lasting goals. Man, Marx says, can not achieve his true potential and realise who he truly is, to quote Marx directly: “Thus political economy – despite its worldly and voluptuous appearance – is a true moral science, the most moral of all the sciences. Self-renunciation, the renunciation of life and of all human needs, is its principal thesis. The less you eat, drink and buy books; the less you go to the theatre, the dance hall, the public house; the less you think, love, theorise, sing, paint, fence, etc., the more you save – the greater becomes your treasure which neither moths nor rust will devour – your capital. The less you are, the less you express your own life, the more you have, i.e., the greater is your alienated life, the greater is the store of your estranged being.” (Marx 1844)

Marx also believed that due to faster technological advancements capitalism seems unnecessary simply due to the fact that people shouldn’t have to work as much as they do and that people should have a freedom that hasn’t yet been fully realised that would allow them to express who truly are as human beings. 

Conclusion

Capitalism is a system that many feel is no longer able to function, is driving us towards catastrophes we have yet to see, and is just not necessary and these views aren’t unfounded. A clear reading from the valuable writings of one of the greatest minds in history will hopefully let us see a society in which people can be truly free from the shackles of our modern condition.

Bibliography

Smith. M (2022) “Britons Tend Oppose Planned RMT Rail Strikes This Winter”

F Black. J (1978) “The Greenhouse Effect” 

WorldBank (2022) “Urgent Climate Action Crucial for Bangladesh to Sustain Strong Growth”

Stillwell. F (2012) “Political Economy: The Contest of Economic Ideas”

Marx. K and Engles. F (1932) “The German Ideology”

Marx. K and Engles. F(1848) “The Communist Manifesto” 

Marx. K (1844) “Economic & Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844”

Furth. D, Heertje. A and Van Der Veen. R.J. (1978) “On Marx’s Theory of Unemployment”

The Dehumanisation Of The Individual Under Capitalism

We are nothing more than machines used to drive profit

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Introduction

Capitalism has brought about advancements in the human condition at such a rapid pace and has raised living standards immensely. It has also given us newfound freedom only before thought to have been reserved by lords and even kings. But the problems of capitalism are hard to ignore. It has removed all need for human creativity on two fronts. One it has removed man’s desire to be creative in the production they need to survive and two has removed any meaningfulness to the culture society heralds. 

Alienation under capitalism

Have you ever wondered why after working a job you’re not passionate about you have a sense that you’re not seen as a human being? And the only thing you look forward to is the weekend yet you’re so exhausted to do anything and spend most of your time resting and consuming junk. Well, this isn’t unique I’m willing to bet that every single person on earth has felt this. This feeling is called alienation and for many including myself, it’s one of the most pervasive aspects of the economic system that we currently live under. 

Capitalism has used the nature inherent to humans (that being their productive nature) in ways that have been tremendous for the living standards and have brought about advancements that were beyond imagination. But the problem is that capitalism is still tied to class distinctions which are the distinction between the class of workers and the class of owners who are in a constant struggle with each other. This system brings about an ideological superstructure in which the norms and traditions of society are held up by the base being the economic system. This superstructure is responsible for many things laws, cultures, and education systems, all brought about to legitimise the economic system. And in this superstructure individual freedom is seen as nothing more than the freedom to consume commodities at leisure (Marx 1932). The place where you spend your time the most the place where you are meant to express yourself as a human being has been turned into a prison in which you are under the authoritarian rule of owners who have more than likely never even seen the inside of the institution you all but live at. This brings out feelings of depression and anxiety from the fact that you as a human cant become the fullest human possible. This alienation has brought about a rise in the deaths of suicide, opioid overdose, and liver complications brought about by alcoholism (Zeira 2021). 

Culture under Capitalism

Capitalism has removed every sense of originality under the sun to market to individuals. Even art a medium that was and to an extent still is praised for its transcendence and being thought of as the defining point of the difference between humans and animals has been hollowed out for mass appeal and to find examples we needn’t look far. Looking at the top-grossing films of all time, 16 of the top 20 are sequels or reboots (Childress 2022). Mass culture has been usurped from the masses by the market to constantly push out the safest and most noninnovative pieces of art we have seen. This phenomenon is called the culture industry and it has ensnared the public by blinding them from the truth about the exploitation they experience every day of their lives (Horkheimer and Adorno 1947).  

The culture industry is best understood by the example of the extremely successful app TikTok. Tiktok created some of the biggest trends of the year with 30.8 million active users it s quickly become one of the places a lot of young people have gotten their sense of taste. The problem is that TikTok’s algorithm is  constantly acting as a filter from which people consume its content. This may seem like a standard thing due to almost every big social media having a similar system in place but what’s different about TikTok is that its algorithm intentionally discriminates against people it thinks looks ugly and poor (Biddle, Ribeiro and Dias 2020). It is clear from this that the purpose of TikTok isn’t just to be a creative outlet it specifically chooses the content that it wants to be popular and in doing so removes any real need to be creative in fact whole formulas and standards of content now exist on the platform and deviations from these are not allowed to expand.

Conclusion

Capitalism has brought about changes we are lucky to have but to be blind in the face of the glaring problems has to be a form of ignorance that must be maligned with extreme disgust. The issue with individuals not being able to express themselves as full human beings in places where they spend most of their time leads to personal psychological problems that have been a disaster. Capitalism has also brought out the culture industry which has removed all need for deep and personal introspection, it has instead turned culture into a constant amusement park never allowing the consumer a second before the next hit of dopamine. What we need is to move to a system in which humanity and individuality are praised and revered instead of shut out, a system in which culture highlights the best of humanity and isn’t just a tool for more profit.

Bibliography 

Marx. k (1932) “The German Ideology”

Zeira. A (2021) “Mental Health Challenges Related to Neoliberal Capitalism in the United States”

Childress. E (2022) “THE 50 HIGHEST-GROSSING MOVIES OF ALL TIME: YOUR TOP BOX OFFICE EARNERS EVER WORLDWIDE”

Horkheimer.M  And Adorno.T  (1947) “Dialectic Of Enlightenment”

Biddle. S Ribeiro P.V and Dias. T (2020) “INVISIBLE CENSORSHIP”

RACISM IN THE UK HEALTHCARE SYSTEM

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Why do black people experience illness more frequently and pass away earlier than other racial and ethnic groups? There are probably many causes for the higher mortality rate among black individuals. But it is indisputable that any one of those elements is the treatment they get from their medical professionals. In simple terms, black people do not receive the same quality of healthcare as their white counterparts, and this inferior healthcare is making them live shorter lives.

Every day in the UK, black and minority ethnic groups face prejudice and inequality, especially in the social services system and the NHS (Rivenbark and Ichou, 2020). Numerous terrible examples of this disparity exist, the pandemic has affected black and minority ethnic populations in the UK unevenly, as shown by the Public Health England report as people’s chances for a good life are adversely impacted by racism in numerous ways (Rees, 2020). For instance, by limiting access to possibilities for jobs and education Black and minority ethnic group members frequently have worse living standards, which harms their health (Rees, 2020). People’s physical and emotional health is directly impacted by the stress of experiencing racial discrimination.

Ethnic minority communities have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic. There have been more infections and fatalities among them. Along with genetic characteristics, environment, poverty, occupation, housing situation, and medical problems all played a major part. The truth is that these disparities were already affecting the health and livelihood of ethnic minority populations before COVID-19 struck, the pandemic has only brought them to light in a way that has never been done before.

When you look closer, the complexity of the situation quickly becomes apparent. There are disparities within and between ethnic groupings as well as between ethnic minority groups and the white majority (Tello, 2017). Most races are black people, and Asian people have been through a situation that has impacted their health and deprived their financial status. Wellness, most ethnic groupings are worse off than the White British population (Amon, 2020). In England and Wales, there are significant differences in health among various racial and ethnic groups (Tello, 2017). Numerous variables contribute to poor health, including biological ones (age, sex…), as well as social one’s education, social, money, and encounters with racism and racial discrimination. Health-related social determinants are structured unequally among ethnic groups, which causes unfair and avoidable health disparities (Johnson, 2021).

Like many other countries, the UK is facing a significant problem in establishing fair access to healthcare due to the expansion of numerous ethnic communities and ethnic minorities, each with unique cultural characteristics and health profiles (Attanasio and Hardeman, 2019). Demographic and ethnic disparities have significant effects on physicians and other healthcare providers. The impact of ethnicity, culture, and religion on the patient’s health in the population they care for must be understood by doctors (Johnson, 2021). They should pay close attention to disparities in disease prevalence, potential cultural impacts on health, access to and implementation of the health system, and possible challenges to high-quality care (Tello, 2017).

Inequalities in terms of race and ethnicity arise when managing serious diseases, which can be time-consuming and expensive for patients, to improve the quality of the patients’ lives, such as treatment of the conditions (Rivenbark and Ichou, 2020). Based on medical diagnoses, more white patients typically choose hospice care with less intensive care during their final months of life. Despite minimal to no changes in their overall health outcomes, minority individuals often face much higher healthcare expenses. According to Chen et al. (2020), “poor communication may result in physicians failing to completely comprehend patients’ requirements and ordering pointless therapies or tests” (p. e128). As a result, minorities incur more expenses for hospital stays, diagnostic testing, and prescription drugs. Due to the huge cost differences amongst patients with long-term illnesses, minorities are more likely to experience a lower quality of life because of access to palliative care. Because of the disparities in the healthcare system, chronically ill minorities’ survival rates are significantly impacted by the lack of planning for advanced care. Minorities’ access to regular check-ups and vaccines can be a key factor in diagnosing and stopping the spread of any health disease (Johnson, 2021). For instance, ongoing cancer screening can spot prospective abnormalities that could endanger the patient and ensure early treatments to stop the disease’s progression. Additionally, immunisation against cancers can dramatically lower the risk of the disease developing. However, due to the high cost and limited availability of healthcare facilities that provide these services, access to them is all but impossible.

Therefore, conditions become more difficult to control and inequities increase when people lack fundamental access to high-quality care.  Eliminating racial and ethnic disparities in their entirety requires explicit measures by all involved parties, including the use of community-based organisations for advocacy that can guide the change process (Johnson, 2021). Through such interventions, the government can improve health outcomes by ensuring equitable access to diagnosis, treatment, and management of chronic illnesses for marginalised populations.

REFERENCE

Amon, J.J. (2020). Ending discrimination in healthcare. Journal of the International AIDS Society, 23(2). doi:10.1002/jia2.25471.

Attanasio, L.B. and Hardeman, R.R. (2019). Declined care and discrimination during the childbirth hospitalization. Social Science & Medicine, 232, pp.270–277. doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2019.05.008.

Johnson, E. (2021). The different types of discrimination in health and social care? [online] CPD Online College. Available at: https://cpdonline.co.uk/knowledge-base/care/the-different-types-of-discrimination-in-health-and-social-care/.

Rees, M. (2020). Racism in healthcare: Statistics and examples. [online] http://www.medicalnewstoday.com. Available at: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/racism-in-healthcare.

Rivenbark, J.G. and Ichou, M. (2020). Discrimination in healthcare as a barrier to care: experiences of socially disadvantaged populations in France from a nationally representative survey. BMC Public Health, [online] 20(1). doi:10.1186/s12889-019-8124-z.

Tello, M. (2017). Racism and Discrimination in Health Care: Providers and Patients. [online] Harvard Health Blog. Available at: https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/racism-discrimination-health-care-providers-patients-2017011611015.

http://www.citizensadvice.org.uk. (2020). Taking action about discrimination in health and care services. [online] Available at: https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/law-and-courts/discrimination/taking-action-about-discrimination/taking-action/.

Are Women Still Affected by Gender Pay Gaps in 2022?

Article by M00893916

Image by upklyak on Freepik

The fact that women usually earn less than men is completely normalized in our society, and few people stop to think about it. Of course, the situation varies depending on the country, industry and job position. In some sectors, the situation is significantly worse than in others. However, in general, we can say that this is a real problem that women have to face all over the world. What is the current situation, and has anything changed for the better? Let’s take a closer look.

The gender pay gap is only one of many gender issues related to the global political economy. However, it is among the more persistent ones (O’Brien and Williams, 2020). Although women have always worked (be it in the form of taking care of the household and children or taking on other roles), they have not always received adequate recognition and rewards for their work. As Silkin (2021) describes in their article, women had to work for extremely low wages as early as the Victorian era to support themselves and their families. During the world wars, the need to employ women to replace men leaving to fight at the front increased. Nevertheless, wages remained low, and unpaid work based on volunteerism was no exception. After the end of the Second World War, the division of labour into men’s and women’s jobs returned, and thus the wage gap continued to persist. An important milestone was the year 1970 when the Equal Pay Act was passed in the United Kingdom. Since then, the percentage of employed women has increased considerably, and along with this, the gender wage gap has gradually started to decrease. However, although the gap has narrowed substantially compared to the last century, it is still an ongoing problem.

These days, we are in the part of the year where this issue is being stressed more than ever. The reason is that women work “for free” for about the last month and a half every year because of the wage gap. This year, the EU Unequal Pay Day, which marks the date when women start “working without pay”, took place on 15 November 2022 (European Public Service Union, 2022). Even though this year’s Unequal Pay Day was 10 days later than last year (meaning that the period when women work “for free” was shorter), according to the European Public Service Union (2022), this does not mean the gap is closing. The reason for this seemingly positive trend is the increase in the unemployment rate over the past year, which has had a bigger impact on male-dominated sectors. As a result, more men were unemployed, which has caused a seeming reduction in the gender pay gap. According to the International Labour Organization (2022), women still get paid around 20 % less than men. Not to mention that people who identify as a different gender than female or male are usually not included in these studies. Closing the gender pay gap for good is most likely a long time run, and based on the data from International Labour Organization (2015, cited in O’Brien and Williams, 2020), it can take up to 64 more years if the current policies don’t change.

You might be wondering which sectors have the worst gender pay gap. The statistics by Eurostat (2022) from 2020 show that the highest difference between men’s and women’s salaries in the European Union is in Financial and Insurance Activities. The gender pay gap rate for individual member states in this sector ranged from 6.4 % in Belgium to 38.9 % in Czechia. This data also showed that the gender pay gap is much worse in the private sector than in the public sector. Other statistics from an American-based organization Payscale (2022) show that even outside the European Union, the highest gender pay gap is in the sector of Finance & Insurance, followed by Agencies & Consultancies, Health care, Transportation & Warehousing and Nonprofits. While it may be surprising that the majority of these sectors are dominated by women, the gap can often be exacerbated by their lower representation in higher-paid roles. This fact can also be described by the term glass ceiling, which refers to a “situation where senior management positions are predominantly occupied by men and wage differentials between men and women remain wide at the top of the pay scale” (O’Brien and Williams, 2020, p. 245).

As you can see, the gender pay gap is a complex and vast topic that is the subject of public, political and academic discourse. Although the situation has improved significantly since the days when women worked with zero or minimal income, it is still an important problem that affects all societies. On average, women are still paid 20 % less than men who work in the same position and do the same job. And even though the answer to this gender inequality is in the hands of policymakers, each of us can contribute to its solution by not ignoring it, normalizing it, and not being silent about it. Only then will we achieve equal conditions for everyone, regardless of their gender.

References

European Public Service Union (2022) Unequal Pay Day 2022: women work ‘for free’ for rest of year. Available at: https://www.epsu.org/ (Accessed: 03.12.2022).

Eurostat (2022) Gender pay gap statistics. Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Gender_pay_gap_statistics#Highest_gender_pay_gap_in_financial_and_insurance_activities (Accessed: 03.12.2022).

International Labour Organization (2022) Pay transparency can address the gender pay gap. Available at: https://www.ilo.org/global/about-the-ilo/newsroom/news/WCMS_856203/lang–en/index.htm (Accessed: 03.12.2022).

O’Brien, R. and Williams, M. (2020) Global Political Economy. 6th edn. London: Bloomsbury Publishing.

Payscale (2022) 2022 State of the Gender Pay Gap Report. Available at: https://www.payscale.com/research-and-insights/gender-pay-gap/ (Accessed: 03.12.2022).

Silkin, L. (2021) Women in Work: a brief history of women in the workplace. Available at: https://www.futureofworkhub.info/comment/2021/7/6/women-in-work-a-brief-history-of-women-in-the-workplace (Accessed: 03.12.2022).

BLOG 3: Inequality In Education in the United Kingdom (M00848639)

Educational inequality exists in both the private and public education systems in the United Kingdom. Wealthier families are drawn to the private sector because they can afford to send their children to schools that pay for more qualified teachers and provide textbooks and an easy access to library. If a student does not understand a topic, the family can provide resources to help him or her with their assignments. This is not the case with the public sector. There is an educational attainment disparity in state-funded schools between students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds and students from higher socioeconomic backgrounds.

While GCSE attainment has increased over time, 16-year-olds eligible for free school meals are still around 27 percentage points less likely than their less disadvantaged peers to earn good GCSEs (Henshaw, 2022). Children from disadvantaged backgrounds also make slower progress through secondary school: only 40% of disadvantaged children who achieved the expected level at age 11 went on to earn good GCSEs in English and maths, compared to 60% of their non-disadvantaged peers in the 2019 GCSE cohort. On the other hand, nearly all (95%) of non-disadvantaged students who performed above the expected level at the age of 11 went on to earn good GCSEs, one in every six primary school high achievers from disadvantaged backgrounds did not meet the GCSE benchmark. (Farquharson et al., 2022).

 Over time, education spending in England has become less progressive. Primary school students in the most disadvantaged fifth of schools received approximately 20% more funding than those in the most affluent fifth in 2000. This premium rose to 35% by 2010, but over the last decade, all this progressivity has vanished due to shifting demographics of disadvantage and explicit policy choices in the school funding formula. (Andrews, 2022)

In contrast, the per-pupil resource disparity between private and public schools has more than doubled since 2010. In 2009-10, the average state school pupil received £8,000 in total funding per year (both day-to-day and investment spending). Private school fees (less bursaries) were around £3,100 higher on average. By 2020-21, state school spending had slightly decreased while private school fees had increased in real terms, leaving a £6,500 gap. (Sibieta, 2021)

Targets that focus only on one stage of education can store up problems elsewhere in the system. Intervening in the early years can be an effective and efficient way of supporting a more equal education system: preventing inequalities from opening up in the first place is often cheaper than trying to close gaps later on.

Early interventions work best when they are followed up by investments at subsequent stages of education. The education system is full of choices such as which school to attend, what subjects to study, which post-compulsory route to take, whether to return for adult education later in life. Invest in education. While delivering high-quality education is a complex process, adequate funding is a necessary starting point. Government spending on education has fallen significantly over the last decade, especially on further education, and funding for the COVID-19 recovery package in England is likely to fall short of the scale of the challenge.

There are many factors that go into decision-making that cannot be directly influenced by educational policy and there is not just one route to success. But we should ensure that people have clear, easy-to-access information about the routes available to them, so that they can make the best decisions for their own circumstances. In an economy where the financial returns to ‘making it’ in education are so high, there will always be pressure on parents to invest in helping their children to succeed. Also, in a society where the parents need to invest in resources that are so different from each other, the education system will never be able to fully compensate for the vastly different experiences children have outside the school gates.

Bibliography

Andrews, J. (2022). Current estimates of school funding pressures. [online] Education Policy Institute. Available at: https://epi.org.uk/publications-and-research/current-estimates-of-school-funding-pressures/ [Accessed 16 Dec. 2022].

Farquharson, C., McNally, S. and Tahir, I. (2022) Education inequalities, Inequality: the IFS Deaton Review. Available at: https://ifs.org.uk/inequality/education-inequalities/ (Accessed: December 4, 2022).

Henshaw, P. (2022). Will we ever close the disadvantage gap? [online] http://www.sec-ed.co.uk. Available at: https://www.sec-ed.co.uk/news/will-we-ever-close-the-disadvantage-gap-poverty-pupil-premium-attainment-gcse-a-level-examination-social-justice-mobility/ [Accessed 16 Dec. 2022].

Sibieta, L. (2021). The crisis in lost learning calls for a massive national policy response. [online] Institute for Fiscal Studies. Available at: https://ifs.org.uk/articles/crisis-lost-learning-calls-massive-national-policy-response [Accessed 16 Dec. 2022].

The ‘Post’ in Post-Colonial By M00800245

The ‘post’ in post-colonial implies that the world has moved past the time of colonialism. This implication that colonialism and its effects have ended is a notion shrouded in falsehoods. The legacy of colonial times is enduring. Colonialism was a brutish form of conquest across the globe (Loomba, 2015). A process that ravished communities and cultures (Loomba, 2015). The effects of the centuries of these operations are still being felt to this day. Specifically, by those living in previously colonized places. Even the United Nations has pointed this out (United Nations, 2022). Therefore, the term postcolonialism is surrounded by major debate (Loomba, 2015). Many feel that the ‘post’ in front colonial hints that the colonial times are over, which cannot be true if people are still living with the damages it caused (Loomba, 2015). There are many examples of how that ‘post’ feels flawed. However, the most prominent are how colonialism furthered wealth inequality and how the idea of colonialism was transformed. 

One of the main arguments against the ‘post’ in post-colonialism is the fact that the colonizers are still benefitting from colonialism. These colonizers have raised their countries up whilst having disenfranchised colonized countries around the globe. Countries like the United Kingdom built all that they have off the backs of the nations that they colonized. Their wealth and their resources all came from the process of colonialism (Drayton, 2005). Wealth and resources that are still relied upon to this day. And while they are doing well in the world, many of the countries they plundered are struggling because of years upon years of resource depletion. Colonialism raised the vantage point of the west and lowered many countries. The following quote further explains this, “… the ongoing dominance of the North over the South and the crucial role of race in the operation of the global economy” (O’Brien and Williams, 2020). This phenomenon of certain countries generationally having more wealth is rooted in colonialism and what that did to the globe. When the way that the entire world system still functions is reliant on colonial legacies, this is no ‘post’ to it. To further that point, the system of colonialism itself didn’t fully go away. It was transformed into a new power, one to suit the modern day.

The transformation of the colonial system is quite evident in Great Britain. The British Empire spanned a fifth of the world during its peak (Mckeever, 2021). However, this grand empire started to wane when colonies started to want their independence (Mckeever, 2021). As Britain’s assets started to fall away, they needed to come up with a solution to keep their power. Thus began the start of the Commonwealth of Nations. The Commonwealth currently consists of 56 countries and is of the goal to unite these states together (The Commonwealth, 2017). Many of these commonwealth states are comprised of ‘formally’ colonized nations (Mckeever, 2021). This is a big reason why it is reasoned that the world has not moved into an age of ‘post’ colonialism. Colonialism has not ended; it has just taken a new form. Great Britain has taken countries that they colonized and rebranded their involvement in them as positive. When what these countries need is reparations for all those years of colonialism. They need repayment for all the things that were taken away from them. If the world cannot yet recognize that we have yet to move past colonialism, how do things change? How do we get to the ‘post’ in post-colonialism?

Colonialism had disastrous consequences for the entire globe. For the colonized countries, colonialism put them in a difficult situation of having everything taken from them. The effects of this are still felt today. These legacies impact economies, societies, and the day-to-day lives of so many. The world is not yet at post-colonialism. But it can get there. To arrive at that destination, we must first acknowledge the ways in which colonialism still lingers in our modern world. Once people do that, solutions can be found to remedy the damages of the colonial system. And once the solutions have been applied, the world can start to truly move to the ‘post’ in post-colonial.

Bibliography

Drayton, R. (2005). Richard Drayton: The wealth of the west was built on Africa’s exploitation. [online] The Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2005/aug/20/past.hearafrica05 [Accessed 8 Nov. 2022].

Getty Images (2018). The Queen speaks at the formal opening of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in 2018. [Online Image] Independent.co.uk. Available at: https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/royal-family/what-is-commonwealth-members-countries-b2036156.html [Accessed 14 Dec. 2022].

Loomba, A. (2015). Colonialism/Postcolonialism. 3rd ed. [online] Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon ; New York, Ny: Routledge. Available at: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/mdx/detail.action?docID=2028299 [Accessed 14 Dec. 2022].

Mckeever, A. (2021). How the Commonwealth arose from a crumbling British Empire. [online] nationalgeographic.com. Available at: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/how-the-commonwealth-of-nations-arose-from-a-crumbling-british-empire [Accessed 15 Dec. 2022].

Merriam-Webster (n.d.). Definition of POST. [online] http://www.merriam-webster.com. Available at: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/post#:~:text=8%20of%208- [Accessed 15 Dec. 2022].

O’Brien, R. and Williams, M. (2020). Global Political Economy Evolution And Dynamics. 6th ed. [online] Bloomsbury Publishing. Available at: https://read.kortext.com/reader/pdf/610493/210 [Accessed 14 Dec. 2022].

The Commonwealth (2017). The Commonwealth. [online] Thecommonwealth.org. Available at: https://thecommonwealth.org/ [Accessed 15 Dec. 2022].

United Nations (2022). Effects of colonialism ‘still being felt to this day’. [online] UN News. Available at: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/02/1112292 [Accessed 14 Dec. 2022].

The Economic Account Behind the Qatar World Cup

According to a report by Qatar’s Al Jazeera, “Qatar has invested more than $220 billion since it won the right to host the World Cup in 2010.”

What is the concept of this figure? That’s almost five times the cost of the first seven World Cups combined, while being enough for the last hosts, Russia, to host another 19 World Cups.

—No venue to host the World Cup? Qatar has spent a staggering $45 billion to build a new city in Lusail.

—Lacking a public transport network? Qatar is spending 16 billion on an airport and 36 billion on three driverless metros to make sure fans can get around.

The cost of hosting the World Cup in Qatar is exorbitant, but can’t the Qataris figure it out? Was it true that they got their money from the wind?

Of course, the answer is no. Sport is a human activity dominated by economics, and the Qataris are not only rich in oil and gas, but also in business.

The use of shipping containers to solve the problem of fan accommodation demonstrates Qataris’ financial savvy. The demolition of the 974 Stadium began before the Qatar World Cup ended. It is surprising that the 974 stadium, which hosted World Cup matches, was a temporary structure that was demolished immediately after the tournament, demonstrating Qatar’s astuteness once again.

Forcing the World Cup to switch from a summer to a winter staging was also well-planned. Despite Qatar’s promise to build air-conditioned stadiums to ensure the tournament was held in the summer, the international football world was ultimately forced to make a dramatic change to ensure the World Cup was held in the winter, while all major European leagues stopped playing, an arrangement that greatly increased the World Cup’s ratings and impact. The World Cup actually cost $4.7 billion to build the stadiums and more to build the cities, with over $220 billion spent on the World Cup being more of a blunder.

In comparison to the Olympics, hosting the World Cup is almost entirely a profitable business. Football stadiums have become increasingly popular in recent years, as they can also host athletics, rugby, hockey, concerts, and a variety of other events. Wembley Stadium, the symbol of English football, has not only made a name for itself over the last hundred years, but has also earned far more than the initial infrastructure investment by hosting various tournaments and other cultural events, becoming a money-spinner for the FA while also supporting the sustainable development of English football.

So how much direct revenue will the World Cup generate for Qatar?

According to statistics, Qatar’s direct economic income from the World Cup will be around US$2.2 billion. According to a Reuters survey, some 80W international visitors have already entered Qatar in the last 20 days of the World Cup. The food, drink, and accommodation for these nearly 100W people will generate enormous profits for Qatari businesses. The number of international flights to Qatar, for example, has peaked even before the World Cup begins, and ticket prices have increased by a factor of two. Meanwhile, the hotel industry in Qatar has seen an explosion of growth. According to data, local hotels in Qatar were in short supply during the World Cup, with the number of hotel bookings increasing nearly fourfold year-on-year and some hotel bookings already costing 10 times more than usual.In addition to this the World Cup has also boosted Qatar’s tourism economy. A local camel breeder in Qatar revealed that before the World Cup his camels were only ridden 20 times a day. During the World Cup, however, the camels were humping tourists nearly 1,000 times a day.

The full explosion of the tourism, restaurant and accommodation sectors will bring considerable economic growth to Qatar. According to economic analysts Focus Economics, Qatar’s GDP will grow by 4.5% in 2022 and 2.7% in 2023, making the economic outlook very positive.

Qatar is a small, wealthy country with a population of only 300,000 people but a GDP per capita of $61,276. Qatar’s wealth is based on oil and gas. Qatar currently has the world’s 13th largest proven oil reserves at 2.5 billion tonnes and the world’s 3rd largest natural gas reserves at 24.7 trillion cubic metres. As a typical resource economy, the oil and gas sector accounts for 60% of Qatar’s GDP.

Despite the fact that these energy reserves will not be depleted in the near future, Qatar’s leaders have long felt a sense of crisis. Qatar presented its National Development Vision 2030 in 2008 in order to change the existing economic structure. Qatar’s primary goal in this long-term plan is to diversify its economic structure. Naturally, hosting the World Cup is an opportunity to examine Qatar’s economic transformation.

The World Cup itself is an opportunity for Qatar to upgrade its industries, as the Minister of Economy said, “Sports will be part of Qatar’s national blueprint for 2030”. The World Cup will be the centrepiece of Qatar’s efforts to build the city’s foundation and invest in sports, which will not only drive the development of tourism, sports and retail, but will also be a new experiment in Qatar’s economic transformation.

Simultaneously, the commercial space created by the World Cup has not only allowed Qatar to foster friendships with other countries, but has also provided him with the opportunity to reap more significant economic and diplomatic rewards in the future. This is naturally an intangible benefit for Qatar that has far-reaching consequences.

The World Cup is not only a sporting event, but also an economic one.

M00912762

References:

[1]MJE,(2022),The Economic Impact on Qatar from the Upcoming 2022 World Cup, Michigan Journal of Economics.

[2]Steven C,(2022),Qatar 2022 World Cup cost: How much money has been paid out by hosts on the most expensive FIFA men’s tournament ever, The Sporting News, Available at<https://www.sportingnews.com/us/football/news/cost-world-cup-qatar-how-much-paid-fifa-most-expensive-2022/i69pi7uree5ctahcjyuzd9fn&gt;

[3]Joshua T,(2022),Qatar World Cup stadiums 2022: Cost, name, sizes and capacity for every pitch, The Sporting News, Available at:<https://www.sportingnews.com/us/soccer/news/qatar-world-cup-stadiums-2022-cost-names-size-capacity-pitch/oyhamtoorwhiltdmfdq5ej2u&gt;

[4]ANI,AFP,(2022),Qatar FIFA World Cup: Revenue expected to surpass all previous records,
Gulf News, Available at:<https://gulfnews.com/qatar-world-cup-2022/qatar-fifa-world-cup-revenue-expected-to-surpass-all-previous-records-1.1669080928667&gt;

We have to rethink our consumption when living in as mass-consumption society

M00893762