Poverty in Iran [Hover over the images for a caption.]
Problem #1:
Many families are experiencing unemployment because of discrimination in the workplace.This unemployment leads to these families living below the poverty level. What is causing this? Employers are unwilling to hire women in general, and they don't like to hire men or women who contradict their religious beliefs. One research study suggested that many people do not hire women because of the traditions that women need to be at home, and Iran is experiencing lower fertility rates than the past. Solution: The Iranian people need to have protection against this type of racial and sexist discrimination. From a U.S. perspective, I am appreciative of our constitution, particularly the amendments to it, that protect women and our religious beliefs. If enough people show that they do not support this behavior, then the government will be forced to address them. The government has the ability to put out laws and regulations that restrict employers from discriminating against individuals. Fixing this problem could save many families from being jobless, and it could help many of them earn their way out of poverty. |
Problem #2:
Iran has somewhere between 45 and 55% of their urban population estimated to be living beneath the poverty line/level. However, the government refuses to give out their real statistics or talk about them. This is a problem because they are refusing to address the issue. What is causing this? Their president Ahmadinejad stated that he doesn't like talking about the poverty level because then more citizens will try to come up with excuses and giving up on trying to earn a living. Solution: When Iran agreed to take part in the millennium development goals, they agreed to participate in sharing their growth and how they are solving these problems. However, Iran has not appeared to have worked on these solutions, so they want to hide from their mistakes in an attempt to remain unaccountable. With more pressure to fix this problem, I think that they will realize that it needs to change. They probably will not do much to change it if they do not get any uproar about it. The more that we bring this hidden statistic to life, the more pressure they will feel to deal with the issue not only from their citizens, but also from the rest of the world. |