UCLA political science professor Michael Ross concludes in Oil, Islam, and Women (pdf) that oil is bad for women power and the beliefs that the gender inequalities in the Middle East are at the core of the region’s failure to democratize, and are linked to a more general lack of tolerance, are somewhat misplaced.
Oil production affects gender relations by reducing
the presence of women in the labor force. The failure
of women to join the nonagricultural labor force
has profound social consequences: it leads to higher
fertility rates, less education for girls, and less female
influence within the family. It also has far-reaching political
consequences: when fewer women work outside
the home, they are less likely to exchange information
and overcome collective action problems; less likely to
mobilize politically, and to lobby for expanded rights;
and less likely to gain representation in government.
This leaves oil-producing states with atypically strong
patriarchal cultures and political institutions.
Using sound analysis — Yi,t - Yi,t-1 = ai + ß(xi,t-1 - xi,t-2) + (ei,t - ei,t-1) — he concludes “Petroleum perpetuates patriarchy“.
I know some of you will find it interesting. ;)
It’s an older paper I’d missed so, thanks to UTNE Petroleum = Patriarchy for the heads-up,
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Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano has been chosen to be secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.
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Realizing it’s a lost cause, or possibly realizing it’s not their business, some have decided it might be better to try to reduce the number of abortions (not by supporting birth control efforts of course), or help those with unsupported pregnancies in other ways, and some people are pissed. Some Abortion Foes Shifting Focus From Ban to Reduction
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And hey, Aretha number one in Rolling Stone’s List of Top Singers of all time. Only ten women in the top fifty. Who the heck votes Kurt Cobain a better singer than Bonnie Raitt, Gladys Knight, Patsy Cline, or even Christina for that matter, and since when is Dylan a singer, never mind the 7th greatest singer of all time?
I assumed they used Diebold’s cast-offs until I saw the hand ballots. I demand a recount, because some of those singers can hardly croak out a tune. You are Rolling Tone Deaf.
Now I’d be interested in seeing that list if I tried to make up a top fifty. I don’t even know where I’d start.
Yours would be quite interesting I’m certain MoJo.
Rolling Stone and rock in general has always been sexist.
Now I want to see it but I’m too busy being a one woman keep the economy going, with one last huge shopping trip that will last two months, machine
I have a hard time shopping for two hours, I fear you will exhaust yourself dear Pia.
Mmmmm, I love mathematical expressions like autocrats love subterranean wealth. I think all mineral wealth probably has the same effect.
Your right, at least as far as when their is a lot of exportation of any kind of natural resource there is less economic development in other areas decreasing jobs where women might get together and make plans to overthrow their governments.
Rolling Stone is a joke, because Jann Wenner is a corporate music tool who is keeping Rush from coming up on the Hall of Fame ballot.
(I wish I were joking.)
Anyway - as to the thesis on Petroleum ==> Patriarchy… couldn’t the same be said of any culture where there is a dominant precious natural resource of external value?
I’m thinking you’d see the same in the old spice trades, and where diamonds are plentiful.
I would also question whether reducing the influence of oil on the Middle East would really help women all that much, as cultural and religious shackles would still remain for some time. Maybe a sea change in their economies would loosen those structures, but it would be a long road.
“Anyway - as to the thesis on Petroleum ==> Patriarchy… couldn’t the same be said of any culture where there is a dominant precious natural resource of external value?”
The answer to that leans toward yes if you look at that paper.
It does seem when women can get together be it at work or whatever things are more likely to change, so more outside work for women, more likely change. That makes absolute sense.
They got Aretha right. The term singer is misleading, it doesn’t look the the voters chose singing ability as a qualification at all. Fun to look at though, I downloaded the rhapsody and listened to as many full songs as possible for free.
Yi,t - Yi,t-1 = ai + ß(xi,t-1 - xi,t-2) + (ei,t - ei,t-1
if that is sound analysis I’ve discovered why my analysis always falls short. ;)
I’m gonna read the Islam/Oil paper with my half turkey, health burger and black coffee lunch.
Tofu or vege burger would be better but I am giving you props for the Turkey anyway.
Yea, 1+1 usually doesn’t help much.
You wife might like reading it Jacob.
Dylan is a good songwriter, but an odd singer (I am a huge fan). But, the list also included Lou Reed. I like his music, but he can’t really sing and neither can Tom Waits in any real way, but I love his music too. It’s a very strange list. I mean, Stevie Nicks? Apologies to her fans…
I love Dylan and don’t mind his voice, he certainly isn’t a singer by my definition.
I mean if he is a singer I am a singer.
I saw the list and wondered about the label given that most of those people can’t sing. There were some huge voices left off in place of some whose songwriting ability is their best asset. It’s as political as anything else, but Aretha is a good choice at the top. Kurt Cobain? Singer? That was pretty funny. Guess it pays to be dead.
I kind a dug Toots Hibbert.
So drilling is out?
For now.
I once read a critique of Dylan that characterized his voice as being like “an asthmatic goose in a headwind”, or something like that. I still like listening to him, though.
“But I would not feel so all alone / Everybody must get stoned”
Well, change has come. ;)
His voice does sound a lot worse now as he ages, I don’t mind the voice but he is not a singer.
Natural resources are an interesting problem on so many levels. I work in that area and have never looked at it this way. The study is large but I wonder what a more expansive study would look like, more mineral rich countries, for instance. Interesting cooper.