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Loading... The Double X Economy: The Epic Potential of Women's Empowermentby Linda Scott
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. This was a fascinating and infuriating read about women's role in the economy and how we can improve it. It was a refreshing change from many feminist books because Scott uses a much wider net--she draws from countries all over the world, not just well off Western nations, for her examples. Her work in non-Western countries tends to be amongst the poorest, which makes the contrast sharp, but her theme is not that the West is better: it's that it's all variations on an ancient theme to remove women's economic power. She cuts right through common arguments about the pay gap and education--for example, she points out that removing factors like children and care obligations proves only that women achieve equal pay if they act like men, since those factors are so heavily skewed towards women. Just as importantly she points out how much women's economics matter to the economy as a whole. Not only do women earn money, they spend it. In the US, 67% of consumer spending is determined by women. Research in developing countries has shown that giving women more control over family finances not only benefits them but their children. I would have liked a little more attention paid to the economic value of women's caring labor, instead of just talking about universal daycare (important, but not the only point). Women's economic value is systematically undervalued because their domestic labor is not included and not thought to be an economic contribution.
Linda Scott doubtless had some personal reasons for writing The Double X Economy: The Epic Potential of Women's Empowerment (Faber), but the result is one of the most objective, data-led, rigorously scientific and morally persuasive books of the year. Scott's argument is simple: "Equal economic treatment for women would put a stop to some of the world’s costliest evils, while building prosperity for everyone." She backs it up with economic, environmental and evolutionary science while proposing "concrete, reasonable and effective action". Never before has an analysis of supply-chain economics resulted in so many fists in the air. This is a book that will make people think, and act.
"A leading thinker's groundbreaking examination of women's economic empowerment"-- No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)331.4Social sciences Economics Labor economics Labor of womenLC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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I read the German translation. ( )