I believe that biodiversity and the threat of cultural diversity are important and relate to each other because countries need both to survive. This means that biodiversity has been a positive thing in many countries and cultural diversity cannot be taken away because countries wouldn’t exist without it. Both diversities help to create better lives and countries. Without biodiversity we wouldn’t have the variety of species, genes, and ecosystems we have today around the world, and with cultural diversity everyone would just follow the same culture and everywhere you would go would be the same. However, I do not think government should be involved in helping to protect cultural diversity. I think the people should get to decide what is allowed in their culture and how to preserve it themselves.

            Countries need biodiversity to survive because of the species, genes, and ecosystems involved in the different countries. It’s because of these living things that people have food, water, and jobs. For example many animals and plants contribute to the well being of countries. Animals are not only used for food, but they also provide identities for major countries. Australia is known for it’s koalas and kangaroos, as well as the United States has different animals for different states, like Arizona is popular for coyotes. Plants not only provide food, but they also help to provide jobs. Many agricultural jobs are needed to harvest the many plants that we get out nutrients from. Plants also help with the environment. They transfer nutrients to other living things and the environment as well. Cultural diversity is important because it creates different cultures and places to live in. If we weren’t diverse, than the whole world would basically be the same. People would all speak the same language and every place would be exactly the same. Diversity is what makes the world how it is. Languages are an important part of cultural diversity. Not everyone speaks the same language and 6,000 are spoken around the world today (“Wade Davis: Dreams from Endangered Cultures”, 2003). With different languages comes different means of interaction such as music and dance. I think it’s important for these languages to stay alive so we can uphold all the traditions that come along with them. The Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia is the national body that represents Australians on issues related to cultural diversity (Australia’s Cultural and Linguistic Diversity, 2013). They help communities deal with cultural issues, give advice, and helps citizens participate in culturally diverse activities. I do not think citizens need help from their government to promote their cultural diversity though.

            While I may not think that the government helps preserve cultural diversity, many people do. Many people believe government funding should go to protecting different cultures and helping to make people more aware of cultures, people can do this all themselves. People do not need money to preserve their culture. No amount of money will help preserve a culture actually, the only way to hand the culture down and teach it to their children/grandchildren. The people involved in different cultures also know more about the culture than the government does so they know how to preserve it better. The government involving itself in people’s personal lives is not helping any situation. Most people won’t involve themselves in government’s efforts to preserve their culture anyway because they feel they are doing a better job themselves at preserving it.

“Wade Davis: Dreams from Endangered Cultures” (Feb. 2003). TED. Retrieved from 

    http://www.ted.com/talks/wade_davis_on_endangered_cultures.html

“Australia’s Cultural and Linguistic Diversity” (21 Jan. 2013). Australian Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved from  http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/[email protected]/Lookup/1301.0Feature+Article12009%E2%80%9310

Italy is not high in natural resources; therefore, they must depend on other countries to import a lot of the resources they need. One of the natural resources Italy is low on is wood. Only twenty percent of Italy is forest areas; therefore, Italy has no where to pull from to get wood. Italy also used to have a great fishing industry, but due to all the pollution and over fishing, the fishing grounds aren't what they used to be; therefore, Italy exports very little fish now which doesn't help them in the long run. While it is true Italy does still have fish, beef, pork, lamb, etc. they must get meat imported from other countries in order to have enough for it's population to consume. Italy is also interdependent on other countries in order to import resources to produce machinery, shoes, cloth, cars, leather goods, etc. 

Italy's interdependence on other countries is helpful to them. In a way it is economic, not only because they can sell the products in their own land, but the goods they receive from other countries they are able to manufacturer in their own factories and create cars, clothing, etc. to export back to other countries. While this is a positive affect, Italy also has the negative side as well because as mentioned before they are not high in natural resources and do have to import a lot of goods in order to keep their country running. I think men and women both benefit from the globalization of Italy though because the imports they are bringing in help to create jobs in factories to make new products. 

Something I was surprised to learn was that more women get an education than men do in Italy. I thought it would've been the other way around. High school is more populated by Italian women than men. It was not always like this; however, percentages of women attending school have gone up over the years. In 1950 only seven percent of girls between the ages of fourteen and seventeen attended school, while twelve percent of boys did. This statistic changed though in 1998-99, 84 percent of girls attended high school, while only 81 percent of boys did. At the university level there was also a higher level of women then their was males by the late 1990s. With this increase of women going to school, it helps them find work.

The role of being a traditional housewife to Italian women is no longer appealing. Young housewives see this job as more of a necessity than a choice. Working mothers are a lot happier than mothers who are forced to stay home all day even though they are weighed down by the amount of hours they work per week which can get up to sixty hours. 

Italian men contribute very little to any of the housework or childcare. Husband and wife relations are still very traditional. Even children are asked to do little housework. Unfortunately for girls, boys are asked to do less housework and have more freedom, while girls are more controlled by their parents. 

The reduction in men doing housework and taking care of the children can probably explain why couples aren't choosing to have children anymore. Italian mothers choose not to leave the labor market after having a child because it is too difficult to get back into it. Employers are looking for either men or childless women. Part-time jobs are also not common in Italy and it is hard for families to live off of one salary income. Therefore couples are choosing to not have children in order to be able to support themselves. The situation would be different if the man would help with the housework and childcare, but otherwise the woman most likely can only have one child, if that, in order to stay in the job market. 

Working positions of women vary depending on their location in Italy. The majority of mothers who have a child from ages 0 to 2 are working mothers (47.4 percent) while 42.8 percent are housewives. In the north 63.1 percent of mother's with young children are working, 54.95 percent in the center, and in the south it's 31 percent. However in the south 53.7 percent of mothers are housewives. 

Women's role in society. (2010, June 13). Retrieved from
 http://womenroleinsociety.blogspot.com/2010/06/italy-education-and-gender-roles.html


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