Adverse Effects Of Globalization On World Poor Population

1. Economic development is a problem

When people speak about economic development, they usually mean growth in per capita income. However, it is more accurately described as socio-economic development. It includes such factors as infrastructure, standard of living, job opportunities, healthcare, education, etc. But this definition has several problems. First, it concentrates only on the current and past state of things. Second, it gives a narrow picture of what can take place in the future. Third, it shows too much optimism in terms of the economy, whereas other forms of social development are not necessarily good indicators. As a result, people tend to exaggerate how much their economies have grown. There are two main reasons for this: first, people always want to feel confident, even if reality is far from ideal. Secondly, economic progress often goes hand in hand with advancement in technology. For example: instead of using paper money anymore, you sometimes get access to electronic money. The results of technological progress have been devastating and the process has accelerated economic growth.

2. Poverty and inequality are problems

The poverty and inequality problems are as old and as complex as the problem of economic development. According to the statistical report of the Organization for Economic Co -operation and Development (OECD), in rich countries, according to OECD and many others, there are around 10% of the poor population who live on less than $1 a day and less than half of them live below the international poverty line of 1 USD per day. It may seem like these groups of poor are not doing any bad but they do not belong to the “rich” in terms of economic development due to a variety of reasons. Firstly: most of them live in extremely difficult and remote areas; secondly, there is little or no access to employment opportunities in their localities. Due to this, poverty is widespread and often comes with social exclusion. This implies that there is hardly anyone who is considered part of society – it is mostly a matter of luck and hard work, not luck and talent. Moreover, although there is significant scientific knowledge about the causes of poverty, it is still impossible to explain the dynamics and origins of these inequalities, which are an inherent part of life, but most certainly cannot be controlled.

3. The role of globalization in poverty issues

Globalization comes on all fronts. The increase in the human population, the expansion of production facilities due to globalization, the decrease in costs and prices for raw materials, the availability of cheap labor, etc… People are able to travel between different countries and places and easily find new jobs. A person does not need to leave home to earn income nowadays. They need not to go back to his/her community because he can use different means. He needs not to be isolated in one place, and most importantly the opportunity to work in certain sector is available everywhere, at least for the time being. Another aspect that makes the process faster is the abundance of information. Most importantly, the Internet is making it possible to communicate regardless of the geographical location which could have made it practically impossible to maintain contact with each other in the past. This allows millions of people to meet (in real life) each week without having to go out of the country or spend more than 15 minutes in a room speaking face-to-face.

4. Negative effects of globalization

Globalization also brings the rise of another phenomenon known by its name negative consequences like unemployment and underemployment. Many people think that they would benefit from more and more work, that they would enjoy the increased salaries, but it is not so. Even though globalization is bringing a lot of benefits to workers globally, especially in the developed countries, the outcomes of it are not positive. For instance:

5. Increased rates of migration – when working people migrate they end up having to stay in big cities. In addition, this might lead to some health risks and other problems. Migration tends to make the population decline rather than growing, i.e. with increasing numbers of immigrants coming here it will eventually become smaller and smaller (because fewer people are moving here). Some countries are experiencing a rapid influx of immigrants from developing countries. These migrants bring their language skills, food preferences, traditions, cultures, etc. Not only they pay taxes, but also contribute to their country’s economy.

6. Displacement of indigenous populations – displacement means moving to another place and losing traditions and culture (or vice versa). Such moves can cause serious psychological, physical, mental, emotional, financial and even legal problems. An issue that appears to be very common nowadays is migrant worker’s displacement. In order to help these people, governments should provide a safe environment to migrate. More so, it can be effective to employ qualified specialists who can support these newcomers. Such individuals could help them to adapt quickly. It would also be useful to build a safety net for displaced people, and maybe even to create schools or medical clinics that will be ready to receive the migrants to return to their homes as soon as possible.

7. Rise of crime

The rate of crime also varies greatly depending on where you live. If we talk about the world, the situation is grim and we see high number of crimes. Criminals are a threat to everyone, but even more so to vulnerable groups of population which are exploited by the criminal elements. Criminals are taking advantage of the desperate conditions people live through in order to commit the crime. They are stealing a valuable commodity and turning it into something illegal with the goal of getting money. Also, criminals are becoming more sophisticated: with a change in thinking they try to rob, rape, steal, kill, etc., not just people – they try to control the whole system with every possible technique.

8. Increase in gender differences – the traditional perception that women are better at household, children and caring about the family seems absurd nowadays. We have seen different spheres of life. From politics to business, women now are equal participants at all levels. Moreover, it has become increasingly difficult or non-existent to separate women from men in order to have a proper balance. Men and women can no longer tell apart themselves, they tend to live together and behave in a similar way at the same time. As a consequence, there is a sharp distinction between people. Women tend to have fewer hours, they tend to be paid less because they tend to be working mothers, they prefer domestic chores and they are expected to spend less time caring about children and about the household. Men, on the contrary, don’t consider women as equals and are expecting them to care a lot. Men are the most demanding and strong, they are focused on being successful and powerful, while women are nurturers and providers. When working women are trying to reach the top the most important thing is the ability to cope with the pressure. Therefore, the level of work is lower and people are paying more attention to personal interests. Women are also facing greater stress in terms of child care.

9. Lack of equal opportunities for women

When looking at the statistics, the gender imbalance is noticeable: women (who account for only 40%) are much underpaid by comparison to men (who represent 70%). That is why it can be suggested that a woman should be at least 50% younger for being offered a higher salary. Moreover, female employees are underrepresented in occupations which require experience. Thus, many jobs remain out of reach without men’s help. This is evident nowadays in almost every sphere where women are underrepresented. Furthermore, there are plenty of opportunities to gain a position but this is often impossible without specific training and qualifications. So, the question arises that whether it is worth investing in this kind of development? Being educated or skilled doesn’t always guarantee success.

10. Gender profiling

In addition to low wages and being underrepresented, there are certain negative stereotypes associated with either male or female. For example: woman is stronger and stronger than man; man should be aggressive and strong, woman should be soft and nurturing; woman should be submissive, man should be independent and self-confident. Most of these assumptions are based on prejudice as well, it is quite harmful for both genders. Women are more likely to be victims of violence in cases when a male is violent towards them.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is clear that the topic is a complicated issue and one cannot be solved in one point in a short period. However, we are going to try to look at each aspect of this topic and we can conclude that despite the efforts of politicians, NGOs, scientists, etc. there is still a large gap between people that cannot be filled until it is changed.