Biodiversity refers to the abundance of various life forms within an environment including plant life and animal life. Cultural diversity means a rich variety of cultures (music, food, dance, dress, beliefs, social roles, etc.). The two may be more related than one might think. Much of a culture is actually dependent upon the biodiversity of the home of that culture, especially for indigenous or For example, the vegetation of an area would determine the types of foods
Spain has one of the largest economies in Europe, only shortly behind the United Kingdom. Prior to the change to democracy after Franco's reign, Spain was rather closed off with other countries. International trade and cooperation did not become a major part of Spain's economy until after advancements in its democracy and its joining of various organization such as the European Union and NAFTA.
Globalization can be found all over the world, but particularly it is huge in Spain. One example of globalization in Spain is the high demand for oil. Since Spain does not produce any oil of its own, it must look elsewhere for the critical resource for its many urban areas. Oil actually happens to be the country's largest import at 13% of total imports. This shows Spain's dependence upon other countries that do happen to be plentiful in oil. There is a vast amount of products and goods exported by Spain, as well. A good amount of food products from Spain go out to international markets including foods such as olive oil, wine, greens, and fruits. It's number one export, however, is actually cars. 8.3% of total exports of Spain are motorized vehicles. Interestingly enough, one of its top imports is actually car parts. So, Spain is taking advantage of the international markets to bring in goods that help the country to create other goods to make a larger profit. Another example of globalization is the establishment of Spanish banks all throughout Latin America. This creates a co-dependence between the economies of Spain and the participating Latin American countries. The banks also supply much opportunity for investments. Globalization can have its advantages and disadvantages to any country. In Spain particularly, I believe there is a mix of both. Opening up borders and taking part in international trade is what really launched Spain's economy. Spain then had access to many resources that other countries could provide that not only are useful to the general public of Spain, but also to many manufacturers of Spain that need certain parts, tools, or goods in order to create a certain product. The whole world and all of its goods then became available to Spain. Investments on a much larger scale began to occur, strengthening the economy. The most major downfall of globalization is that if the economy of one country begins to decline, it can create a ripple effect that then puts every country that is involved in trade with that struggling country into danger of their own economy failing as well. Hello everyone! On the Politics/Economics page of this site, you can find my findings on the educational status in Spain. I compare the educational priorities of the United Nations to the progress of education within the country. I invite you all to read this report and encourage any comments or questions.
Prior to Spain officially becoming a democracy, women were rather limited in their options. Especially in older times women were seen as possessions, belonging to a man. Their jobs were to tend to the house and the children, and working was frowned upon. Having a large family was important, and so women often had 6-8 children, or even more! According to an article published by The Economist, the words “Keep the woman at home, with a broken leg” can be found in many Spanish bars. This shows how the older societal roles of a woman in Spain are still deeply rooted in some minds. So not only were women expected to live and behave a certain way, but they were often punished if they did not do so. I was quite shocked to read that saying and to find out that it was so often said (and publicly at that), but that was just the way of life for the Spaniards back then.
However, the country became a democracy after the dictatorship of Franco ended in 1974, which opened up a lot of doors for the women of Spain (Villagomez). Property rights and divorce was reinstated, giving women the freedom to leave if they were unhappy. Women could live on their own and control their own properties without the advice of a man. With that new-found freedom, women began to explore fields of work. Now, there are more women attending Spanish Universities than there are men (The Economist). Women in Spain can now be found in all sorts of workplaces, even in politics! The domestic side of life is much less expected from women today, and they no longer feel the need to produce many children. The nation’s average number of children per household is now much less at one to two (The Economist). While there are still traditional Spanish households existing in more rural areas of the country, women still have advanced even in those areas. Women can tend to the fields and farm animals alongside their husbands, men just tend to do the more physical work. Often household duties such as cooking are shared between the two, but laundry is still typical for the woman (EveryCulture). Marriages are seen as an equal partnership, and children are raised together. Forms of leisure are still rather separate between the two genders, though. It is clear that women have definitely come a long way in gaining independence and rights, but there is still more work to do. Just like many other countries in the world, including America, women are still striving for equal pay. As more women obtain positions of power within the country, the road to that goal becomes shorter. There is another issue that women in Spain face, even to this day. Sadly, domestic violence is not rare in this country and many women have to face it. But, with divorce being reinstated in 1974, women now have much safer opportunities and there is a positive outlook. Overall, men and women are becoming increasingly equal in Spain as each year passes. After doing this research, I can see many similarities of the societal roles of Spaniards compared to those in many other countries, including America. For example, the are many “housewives” in America, particularly in more rural areas, but in the cities women are a large part of the workforce and they even hold positions of power and influence. Of course, roles differ depending on the part of the country, but roles have adapted over time and will continue to in the future. I think that culture have a large influence over the societal roles of men and women in a country, but as time goes on and more technologies develop, so do those roles. Sources: Countries and Their Cultures. (n.d.). Retrieved February 24, 2015, from http://www.everyculture.com/Sa-Th/Spain.html The usual amount. (2001, August 11). Retrieved February 24, 2015, from http://www.economist.com/node/733337 Villagomez, E. (n.d.). Navigation. Retrieved February 24, 2015, from http://www.eurotopics.net/en/home/presseschau/archiv/magazin/gesellschaft-verteilerseite/frauen-2008-3/artikel_villagomez_frauen_spanien/1 Please feel free to share your thoughts about Spain and this website here. I welcome and encourage others' opinions, suggestions, and knowledge.
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