Session 1 readings, 9/9 morning

[Catalina Silvestre]

Jasmine, I also know very little about Asian history and culture.  The bars policy in Asia is something that I have always been curious about as well.  For whatever reason I have known about the restrictions That are placed upon the people In different parts of the region.  And now that I am participating in this seminar I'm finding that their are restrictions and age limitations Placed on when people get married.  This is being interesting in combination with the population restriction As a well as the Issues this region has with natural resources As I mentioned in the previous post.  All in all I would think that there would be a promotion For the population to wed At an older age rather than a earlier age to assure Marriage success.  Which in turn would possibly help the population Financially Creating a higher level of stability.  Interestingly enough as women we are then faced with the following questions such as when will you have children.  When it comes to that I believe there is maybe possibly a stigma among women who marry at in old age and have children and old age unlike in the United States.   In the United States women are like that to be more independent and not just simply child bearers they are part of the workforce and they contribute in major ways.  Women in the US of the highest growing group of entrepreneurs that contribute to the economy and major ways.  So I think that this has to do with cultural differences.

[Tanish Fortson]

I found it quite funny that you pointed out that this article is published in the Economist and that Japan is claiming that the fundamental causes in the decline of marriage and child birth rates is due to the failing economy. I didn’t know the problem had become so serious with the majority of their population being older. Women have become more independent and have their own jobs and income. They are refusing to settle for any type of husband. Women with careers don’t want to give them up to have children right away. Domestic chores are not typically shared in Japan as well, women are expected to do all of the housework.

 

According to the article, “Only 2% of Japanese children are born outside marriage, compared with over 40% in Britain and America.” I love that his has been pointed out. The cultural aspect of life is important to the Japanese. It’s not in their culture to have children out of wedlock. Men and women are not cohabitating, which means no new babies are being born. But I can argue that if they want some type of change they will need to fire things out. I like that fact that their government is wants to marriage to remain the basis of family life and is implanting incentives like spousal tax breaks, and more nursery places for the working families. 

[Carlos Oyarbide]

It is easy to criticize a country for its environmental carelessness but it important to point out that many developing nations such as India and China did not get the same "pass" that many European countries and the United States got in the 19th century. I am not advocating for the wonton disregard for environmental protection, but it is important to remember that different countries have different priorities depending on their pecking order on the international stage. I remember what a big story the pollution in China was during the Beijing games. One of the focal points was the air quality which the Chinese government tried to control by shutting down many of the factories during the games. To their credit, the Chinese government has been making strides to improve the air and water quality around the country. But if it continues to focus on maintaining it’s unprecedented economic growth, it is hard to imagine that it will be able to do this without some environmental casualties. 

[Ann Huynh]

Wow.  There are a lot of things happening between China and the United States.  It was really interesting to learn that California is China largest exporting partner and that a large number of immigrants in California come from China.  Of all of the East Asian countries, China is the largest and biggest in terms of size and geography, but at the same time they are similar to the United States in terms of where the capital is.  China capital is Beijing and the United States is Washington D.C.  For example, if I was to superimpose the United States map over China, Beijing is roughly where Washington D.C. would be.  This would get my students to think about China, but also put into perspective how large China is.  It would help make it more tangible for them so that they can see why there are larger concentration of people in certain cities in China, which might result in more curiosity to learn about China.   

[Ann Huynh]

The article that resonated with me is the one about Japan.  Here we a have a country that is just as modernized as America, but the biggest problem they have is an aging population.  According to the article, more and more Japanese women are delaying marriages because of the expectations imposed upon them after marriage, namely childbirth.  Whereas the woman might have to give up her career, the men will have very little responsibility in taking care of their children.  This is very unfair and I can see why the Japanese woman might not want to get married immediately because they will not have time to build a career for themselves.  Furthermore, the government is trying to come up with policies to prevent the woman from earning more so that they will get married sooner instead of later.  In America, we have similar thoughts about marriages.  More women are putting marriage on hold to pursue a career because of the advancement in education.  

[Sonia Arrayales]

This was an interesting read. To know that China spent 80 billion dollars for a temporary solution is crazy. The money should have been spent on how to clean water the polluted water or something that will provide a permanent solution. Being in denial is not a way to handle the problem. It is a serious matter that can not be swept under the rug. 

[Cindy Nguyen]

It sad to say that it's not just these East Asian countries but probably most of Asia have similar expectations of women and their duties in life.  I  may have been born in America, but I still had to endure the same pressures of marriage and children like women living in Asia.  All through college, my parents would constantly nag me about going out too much and not studying enough.  They would make comments like, "a proper young Vietnamese girl doesn't act like this...you may have been born in America but you're still Vietnamese".  Once I graduated from college, my parents started to nag about marriage and childrent.  I felt such animosity towards my parents and their expectations that I did everything I could to not fall into the stereotypical role of an Asian woman.  I know I am only able to live the life I want because I was born in America and I am the youngest of five daughters.  I am lucky to live in a country that does not base a woman's value on her ability to marry and give birth.

[Lin ZhaoDavison]

Comparison between US and China in size and population is interesting for students.  Both China and US have rich natural resources, but Chinese people are concentraded in the East part of the country, and American people are more evenly spread throughout the country. Students may compare more factors like the geographic locations, natureal resources, capitals and  and spread of residents throughout the two countries.  I would assign a reserach project to groups of students so that find out facts about geography and demography in the two countries, and they would give a group presentation of their findings.

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