Globalization has rapidly improved the social and economic status of women in the developing world, says Pete Geddes, Program Director of the Foundation for Research on Economics and the Environment. The explanation is straightforward: In a competitive, globalized world, the role of women becomes ever more valuable.
Cultures that exclude women from full participation (e.g., Saudi Arabia), however, fall ever further behind. Likewise, those societies that embrace education for women enjoy dramatic social progress, explains Geddes:
Here are some of the other benefits to globalization:
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The integration of rich and poor nations is not a zero-sum game where the gains of one come at the expense of the other. Driven by the rapid democratization of information, technology, and finance, globalization is turning out to be a remarkably progressive, liberating force. Opponents of globalization may be well intentioned, but they are ill informed, says Geddes.
Source: Pete Geddes, “The Benefits of Globalization,” Foundation for Research on Economics and the Environment, January 7, 2004.