The Grand Duchess Anastasia Romanov was the youngest of the last four grand duchesses of Russia and was born to the Tsar Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra. When Anastasia was born Russia was one of the largest and richest countries in Europe, and great wealth was largely evident among the aristocracy and a small upper class while eighty percent of the population lived in poverty. Russian peasants faced many problems including serious cases of food shortages, and poor wages which forced them into miserable slums.
Anastasia lived at Tsarskoe Selo (also known as the "Tsar's Village") which was modeled after the Palace of Versailles in France. The Tsarskoe Selo was built in the countryside away from St. Petersburg (the capital of Russia at that time) and contained two palaces surrounded by eight hundred acres of groomed lawns and gardens with fountains, and artificial lake, and even a Chinese village.
However, at the same time in the early twentieth century, the Russian people were gradually becoming more interested in democratic ideas. Many people were tired of the absolute rule of the Tsar, especially since ruling monarchs in most other countries had given over much of their power to elected politicians.
Tsar Nicholas II was not a strong ruler and had a soft personality unlike his wife the headstrong Empress Alexandra, which further made him an unfit ruler. In addition, Tsar Nicholas mistrusted most of his ministers, but yet was still incapable of ruling Russia alone and as a result he often turned to his wife for advice who in turn sought advice from a bearded peasant from Siberia named Gregory Rasputin. To Empress Alexandra, Gregory Rasputin seemed wise and when Alexei (Anastasia's only younger brother) suffered from severe bleeding as a result of his inherited hemophilia disease, Rasputin seemed to be able to give her the right advice to put Alexei at ease. However, when the peasants found out that the Romanov's were seeking advice from another peasant they became enraged and were even more against the Romanov's aristocracy.
Eventually Tsar Nicholas II was urged to abdicate the throne, and after he signed the Order of Abdication the interim government (the Duma) took over and placed the Romanov family under house arrest. Shortly after that the royal family was sent to Tobolsk, Siberia where they were sent to the House of Special Purpose and eventually executed.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Discrimination Against Women in the Workforce & Workplace
According to an article by the Parliamentary Assembly, one of the basic rights of women is to "not be discriminated against in the workforce and in the workplace", and this right is "enshrined in international law"; however, despite this law, in reality European continue to be discriminated against in both the workforce and workplace.
One of the main reasons why it's also difficult for women in Europe to get a job is there's a lack of access to the labor market for women, and overall the participation rate of women in the labor force is lower than men and as a result the unemployment rate of women is higher than men.
The second and probably the most evident way in which women are discriminated in the workplace are in salaries. Women in Europe are often paid less than men for the same work or work of equal value- which on average are up to fifteen percent less.
The third problem that women face in the workplace is in raises/promotions. Women are often overlooked for promotions/raises. Even if a woman has a higher position and is more qualified than a man she is still often still unlikely to get a promotion especially if she holds a high position, and statistics show that many more men hold senior positions than women.
One of the main reasons why it's also difficult for women in Europe to get a job is there's a lack of access to the labor market for women, and overall the participation rate of women in the labor force is lower than men and as a result the unemployment rate of women is higher than men.
The second and probably the most evident way in which women are discriminated in the workplace are in salaries. Women in Europe are often paid less than men for the same work or work of equal value- which on average are up to fifteen percent less.
The third problem that women face in the workplace is in raises/promotions. Women are often overlooked for promotions/raises. Even if a woman has a higher position and is more qualified than a man she is still often still unlikely to get a promotion especially if she holds a high position, and statistics show that many more men hold senior positions than women.
The graph below is from the Wall Street Journal Europe and shows how women are discriminated against in the workforce. As the graph shows (although some percentages are very close) women are overall discriminated in practically all aspects in the workforce. For example, overall most women are not at the senior management level and don’t have an equal opportunity of reaching the senior management level. However, the data which I found most depressing was the fact that women overall didn’t enjoy their jobs which is probably due to the fact that they face so much discrimination at work, and it’s difficult for them to get ahead or “grow” in their jobs.
However, according to the article what ties these problem together (the common thread) is discrimination against women. "Women are easily stereotyped against and there are many preconception of women's roles and abilities, commitment, and leadership style".
{A Video Clip of Women in Poland Fighting for Equal Rights (Particularly in the Workforce)}
This clip shows women in Poland fighting for equal rights in the workforce; however, what's also particularly interesting about this clip is the small group against feminism compare feminists to Natzi's, whores, and murderers which I thought was rather extreme and very surprising because I didn’t realize that there were people who were so against feminism. Also it wasn’t a crazy rally with lots of women shouting but a peaceful parade/demonstration with women carrying signs, and one lady over a loud speaker shouting something in Polish.
Bibliography:
1) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GR34sgwpZxU
2) http://www.emeraldinsight.com/fig/0530180303006.png
3) http://assembly.coe.int/Documents/AdoptedText/ta05/EREC1700.htm
The Working Mother in Europe
Although women in Europe may be discriminated against in the workforce and workplace this doesn’t keep them from working, and more and more women keep their jobs even after having children. Today the working mother in Europe is not something out of the ordinary; however, the working mother is more prevalent in some European countries than others. For example, more women are part in the workforce in Denmark, Sweden, and Finland than in Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, or Germany.
One of the biggest challenges that working mothers face is how to balance work and motherhood, and the minimal childcare services that are provided in the work force makes balancing work and motherhood even more difficult. However, one country that has “highly-supportive policies” is Scandinavia which supports both mothers and children by providing a sufficient supply of childcare services and generous parental leave regulations, and as a result Scandinavia has high female employment rates.
Although childcare services are minimal in Europe, other aspects such as maternity leave are far better than in the United States. In the United States, a mother working for a US company must work at least one year before she can take a twelve week maternity leave; however, many other European countries offer far longer maternity leaves. For example, Germany offers fourteen weeks with full pay, Norway—twenty-six weeks at full pay, and Sweden—ninety-six weeks with seventy-eight weeks at eighty percent pay. In addition, mothers don’t only get some form of paternity leave, but fathers as well. In France, new fathers can get up to eleven consecutive days of full paid leave. Another option that the French law also provides is three years of parental leave per child; however, this is generally unpaid leave but it allows parents to leave their jobs without quitting and return back to their exact same job and salary three years later. Therefore, an example that this article gave was that it’s possible to have three children in a row and not have to work for nine years straight.
One reason that the article pointed out as to why the maternity and paternity leave was better in Europe than in the United States was in terms of responsibilities and values. According to the director of the work and family programs for the National Partnership for Women and Families—Jodi Grant, Grant notes that in the US the general feeling is that it’s solely the parent’s responsibility to care for the child and not the government’s unlike in Europe. According to Grant Europe recognizes that the children are the future, and therefore it’s important to take care of them and raise them well.
Bibliography:
1) http://www.iht.com/articles/2003/08/23/radviser_ed3_.php
2) http://books.google.com/books?id=3ze9lf3P1ewC&pg=PA1&lpg=PA1&dq=Europe+the+working+mom&source=web&ots=Maqv8yKz2V&sig=cnDxaHXey0LHJve13A6xHFtOX18&hl=en
3) http://www.apesma.asn.au/women/maternity_leave_around_the_world.asp#Europe
One of the biggest challenges that working mothers face is how to balance work and motherhood, and the minimal childcare services that are provided in the work force makes balancing work and motherhood even more difficult. However, one country that has “highly-supportive policies” is Scandinavia which supports both mothers and children by providing a sufficient supply of childcare services and generous parental leave regulations, and as a result Scandinavia has high female employment rates.
Although childcare services are minimal in Europe, other aspects such as maternity leave are far better than in the United States. In the United States, a mother working for a US company must work at least one year before she can take a twelve week maternity leave; however, many other European countries offer far longer maternity leaves. For example, Germany offers fourteen weeks with full pay, Norway—twenty-six weeks at full pay, and Sweden—ninety-six weeks with seventy-eight weeks at eighty percent pay. In addition, mothers don’t only get some form of paternity leave, but fathers as well. In France, new fathers can get up to eleven consecutive days of full paid leave. Another option that the French law also provides is three years of parental leave per child; however, this is generally unpaid leave but it allows parents to leave their jobs without quitting and return back to their exact same job and salary three years later. Therefore, an example that this article gave was that it’s possible to have three children in a row and not have to work for nine years straight.
One reason that the article pointed out as to why the maternity and paternity leave was better in Europe than in the United States was in terms of responsibilities and values. According to the director of the work and family programs for the National Partnership for Women and Families—Jodi Grant, Grant notes that in the US the general feeling is that it’s solely the parent’s responsibility to care for the child and not the government’s unlike in Europe. According to Grant Europe recognizes that the children are the future, and therefore it’s important to take care of them and raise them well.
Bibliography:
1) http://www.iht.com/articles/2003/08/23/radviser_ed3_.php
2) http://books.google.com/books?id=3ze9lf3P1ewC&pg=PA1&lpg=PA1&dq=Europe+the+working+mom&source=web&ots=Maqv8yKz2V&sig=cnDxaHXey0LHJve13A6xHFtOX18&hl=en
3) http://www.apesma.asn.au/women/maternity_leave_around_the_world.asp#Europe
Democracy: European Women in Government
Overall women in government is still a rarity around the world today; however, in comparison to other countries like Rwanda, where women make up a little less than fifty percent in the lower house, and Cuba which has received harsh criticism from the U.S. Department for its human rights record even have women holding thirty-six percent of its seat in single-chamber parliament, France falls sharply in comparison with women surprisingly only holding only twelve percent of the National Assembly.
What I found even more surprising was I thought other European 
countries like Belarus also known as the “last dictatorship in Europe” would have women holding a smaller percentage in government than other more democratic countries European countries like France. However, the opposite was true and unlike France, women in Belarus hold thirty percent in both the upper and lower house.
Fortunately less than a year ago, France recognized their very low percentage of women politicians, and the French cabinet made a proposal to promote more women into politics. This proposal aims to ensure that women are represented in local and regional governments. Therefore, the future for women politicians in Europe is looking brighter, and in fact there was even a woman running for the French Presidential Election—Segolene Royal the Socialists’ Candidate. The government hopes that as a result of these changes in the law it will help boost the number of women politicians, so that there will be four thousand more women politicians.
{A Homemade Video Clip of Segolene Royal during the 2007 French Presidential Election}
Since European women are generally under-represented in the government, other women who are young, disabled, lesbian, migrant, or of an ethnic minority face even more discrimination in the “area of political decision making”.
One issue that The European Women’s Lobby is actively promoting is equal representation of men and women in decision-making positions in the government since women are so under-represented in government, and the argument that The European Women’s Lobby is making is that women aren’t a minority but half the population in Europe.
Although it’s possible to argue that there’s a lack of democracy in Europe and particularly France because the percentage of women politicians is so low, I feel that democracy is still nonetheless evident in Europe today because countries. For example European countries such as France recognize that their percentage of women politicians are low, and are trying to make changes in their law to promote and encourage more women to become politicians in the future.
Bibliography:
1) http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2007/03/62d9ffd6-acab-4617-860b-fc6784d50df8.html
2) http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6192864.stm
3) http://www.womenlobby.org/site/1abstract.asp?DocID=183&v1ID=&RevID=&namePage=&pageParent=&DocID_sousmenu
4) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcaYZOrC-Jw&feature=related
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