I was thoroughly surprised by a majority of the answers in the Global Trends Quiz, however, three particular answers stood out the most. The first two answers that caught my attention stated that by 2035 there will be a 2.5:1 ratio of taxpayers to retirees and that these said taxpayers would have to pay 31.9% in taxes just to be able to cover public pensions and health benefits (NOVA | World in the Balance | Global Trends Quiz (Answer Key)). This is a terrifying statistic for future American workers, particularly those that would just be graduating college and now not only have pressing student loans but also lose over 30% of their paycheck to cover retirees. It is similarly scary for retirees who could potentially miss out on retirement that they were counting on due to lack of funds. Another answer that was shocking to me was that baby girls born in Japan have a life expectancy of 84 years, whereas baby girls born in Kenya have a life expectancy of 46 years, that is a 38 year difference (NOVA | World in the Balance | Global Trends Quiz (Answer Key)). This is a heartbreaking reality and shines light on the fact that as a first world country we need to be doing something to help increase the life expectancy of people in third world countries.
I believe the biggest health problem that women face currently is that 527,000 women die from pregnancy related issues in the developing world every year (NOVA | World in the Balance | Global Trends Quiz (Answer Key)). Pregnancy in the developing world holds a 1:61 chance of maternal death because of lack of resources such as birth control, prenatal care and adequate medical resources (NOVA | World in the Balance | Global Trends Quiz (Answer Key)). This is compared to a 1:2800 change of maternal death in development parts of the world, who have access to birth control, prenatal care and adequate medical resources (NOVA | World in the Balance | Global Trends Quiz (Answer Key)). Women everywhere should have the same high level prenatal and family planning care, regardless of their economic standing. Childbirth is something that a majority of women will encounter at some point in their lifetime, especially in developing countries where there is a lack of birth control or means to prevent pregnancy. Due to it’s high prevalence and high mortality rate, pregnancy related deaths are one of the, if not, the most pressing women’s health issues today. There shouldn’t be any place in the world where birth control and the best possible health care isn’t available to women.
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One belief about Women’s health that I wish would change is that our bodies react the same to medication as a Man’s. As seen in the ted talk, Why Medicine Often Has Dangerous Side Effects for Women by Alyson McGregor, most medicines we see on the market today are designed and tested on and for men. The popular, and extremely dangerous, belief that women and men are biologically alike is outdated and could potentially be putting women in life threatening situations (McGregor, 2015). Life saving drugs and treatments that we as women put our trust in, believing whole heartedly that they were designed to give us the best shot at life, are not even designed with our life and safety in mind. This needs to be changed, clinical studies of drugs need to start taking place with women. All drugs that are on the market and have been tested solely on men, need to be retested on women. If and when side effects not found in men become apparent in women, alterations to these drugs need to be made. It is not enough to throw our hands up and say, my bad, with future drugs we’ll consider women, the mistakes that have already been made need to be fixed.
Citations
Brink, Susan. “New Guidelines Establish The Rights Of Women When Giving Birth.” 90.1 FM WABE, 2 Mar. 2018, www.wabe.org/new-guidelines-establish-the-rights-of-women-when-giving-birth/.
McGregor, Alyson. Why Medicine Often Has Dangerous Side Effects for Women. Ted Talks, 5 Nov. 2015, www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=7&v=sJCBM9ajA5s&feature=emb_logo.
“NOVA | World in the Balance | Global Trends Quiz (Answer Key).” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, Apr. 2004, www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/worldbalance/tren-answers.html.
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