Thursday, January 30, 2020

What Do Women See Happening Over The Coming Decades?

What do women expect to see happen over the coming decades? What do they want to see happen? This blog is based on a review of numerous articles and studies published over the past two years and presents the following major findings. This important subject is something we should all take the time to examine a bit more closely. Lets start with some high level US and Global demographics.
 
Global Demographics
  • According to a UN press release, the world’s population is set to grow by 2.2 billion between now and 2050, and more than half of that growth - 1.3 billion - is likely to be in sub-Saharan Africa, where women’s rights are hampered by limited access to education, healthcare and contraception.
  • The UN has noted that women represent 60% of the poorest in the world, less than 16% of parliament members, two-thirds of the illiterate and are subject to systematic violence, both in armed conflicts and in the privacy of their own homes.

  • Anti-Slavery International reports that 71% of overall victims of modern slavery – nearly 30 million – are estimated to be women and girls. Forced sexual exploitation or forced marriages account for as many as 99% of victims, some as young as five years old.

  • The World Economic Forum notes that a UN study says countries need about $264 billion - the equivalent cost of 110 military aircraft - to end maternal deaths, gender based violence, child marriage, and provide family planning to all women by 2030.
  • According to the World Economic Forum, global gender equality will not be achieved until the year 2221. That timeline needs to change dramatically.


US Demographics
  • By 2050, the population of the US will climb to approximately 400 million people.
  • According to the Census Bureau, Blacks, Asians, Hispanics and other racial minorities will make up a majority of the US population by the year 2050.
  • By 2050, the female population will climb to over 200 million people.
  • In 2050, there will be 7.5 million more women than men in the US.
  • Women’s inflation-adjusted earnings have increased nearly 14 percent since 1979, whereas men’s have declined by about 7 percent.
  • By 2050, fewer than 2 out of 5 people will be likely to get married in the US.
  • Women in the US continue to report they intend to have more than two children on average, but data indicates that women are delaying having children until later in life.

* Read Views of America's future in 2050 | Pew Research Center
Definition of Women's Rights: The rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide, and which formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movement during the 20th century. Issues commonly associated with notions of women's rights include the right to bodily integrity and autonomy; to be free from sexual violence; to vote; to hold public office; to enter into legal contracts; to have equal rights in family law; to work; to fair wages or equal pay; to have reproductive rights; to own property; to education.


Global Expectations

  • The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action is a comprehensive global blueprint for gender equality and women’s empowerment. Unequal representation in politics, economy and other areas is one of the leading problems of gender inequality identified by all countries. No country has yet fully achieved gender equality.
  • Power relations between men and women must change profoundly for progress to be made this century. Heads of State, CEOs, religious and cultural leaders, and parents must all be partners in the pursuit of gender equality across the globe.
  • Women must participate equally in all areas including conflict prevention and resolution, climate change negotiations, in community planning, in family decisions, in collective action.
  • By 2050, it is expected that all men and women have equal rights and access to economic resources and financial services, ownership and control over land and other forms of property, inheritance, new technology and more.
  • By 2050, we need to ensure equal access for all women and men across the globe to affordable and quality technical, vocational. college and tertiary education. We need to ensure that all youth and adults, both men and women, achieve literacy and numeracy.
  • By 2050, we need to ensure that all women across the globe have access to health services and contraception. Lack of access to contraception in developing nations is a key issue that ought to be resolved as soon as possible.
  • The world must eliminate the “global epidemic” of violence against women and girls, forced marriage, and other ongoing dehumanizing violations of human rights for women.
  • The world must understand and confront the growing conservative and extremist resistance to gender equality. We see this in ongoing attacks on girls’ education, women’s public participation and women’s control over their bodies.

US Expectations
The following are selected excerpts from multiple articles and reports on women’s future expectations through 2050.
  • Nearly nine-in-ten (87%) predict that a woman will be elected US President by 2050.
  • By 2050, the number of women in Congress and state legislatures should equal the number of elected male officials. See Center for American Women & Politics
  • By 2050, women will be much better represented in both the public and private sector. They will be paid the same as men, will be better supported in their home and work life, and the glass ceiling will be a steadily fading memory.
  • By 2050, women will continue to dominate in higher education and outnumber men on college campuses over the coming decades.
  • Additional legislation will be passed and enforced to ensure equal pay and guarantees of gender equality across the US related to terms and conditions of employment, sexual harassment, parental leave, childcare, representation in corporate boardrooms and more.
  • By 2050, women should no longer be penalized for choosing between a career or focusing on family as they move through life.
  • By 2050, we will have done away with the outdated concept that someone needs to be in their office from 9 to 5 to work effectively and productively. When that happens, prejudice against working mothers will disappear and it will be accepted that both men and women want and need more flexibility in their work life.


* Read excerpts from What the Workplace for Women will look like in 2030

Additional Perspectives on the Future of Women in the Workforce by 2050
  • Many of the needs and practical tools for the future of women in business are outlined in The Women’s Manifesto.
  • A study from the Family Wealth Advisors Council estimates that more women are coming into inheritances because of longevity and demographic patterns. An estimated two-thirds of all US. wealth will be in the hands of women by 2030.
  • More married women are joining single-parent women in becoming the financial heads of their households in the US.
  • The number of women-owned businesses will continue to more than double over the next 20 years. The percentage of female senior executives, business owners, and entrepreneurs who are accumulating substantial wealth is rising steadily. There are also more women in the global workforce than ever before, at all ages and income levels
  • Research from the Boston Consulting Group estimates that as women continue to become more educated, they’ll earn higher incomes. By 2050, it’s expected that in the US the average woman will earn more than the average man.
  • Women stand to gain in job quantity from future growth in female-dominated occupations in care. However, concerns remain about job quality and poor wages.
  • As the US population ages, labor economists predict a sharp rise in the number of care-based jobs in the years ahead. Roles like home health aid, medical assistants, and child care workers are projected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics to grow substantially by 2030.
  • Employers will need to provide family-friendly solutions for working people who need flexibility for child care and elder care. These solutions may include part-time employment, telecommuting, flexible business hours and more.

* Read the 2019 Report on Equal Measures 2030 and The Future of Women at Work: Transitions in the Age of Automation

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What Do Today’s Youth See Happening Over the Coming Decades?

What do today’s Youth expect to see happen over the coming decades? What do they want to see happen? This blog is based on a review of numerous articles and studies published over the past two years and presents the following major findings about the youth of today.

Youth: Defined as the time of life when one is young, and often means the time between childhood and adulthood. It generally refers to individuals from the ages of 14 to 20.

I grew up in the 1960’s, a contentious time when the youth took to the streets for what appeared to be years on end to protest the Vietnam War, the military draft, civil rights, voting rights, government leaders, music, and so many other issues. It was an exciting time of challenges and change. Remembering those times, I wondered what the youth of today were doing and saying about the future. It wasn’t obvious to me.

While the youth of today are not noticeably protesting that often in the streets, that doesn’t mean they aren’t actively out there protesting about the many major issues and challenges facing them, e.g. overpopulation, climate change, endless wars, terrorism, inequality, affordable housing, and so much more. In the ‘Information Age’ of the 21st Century, they are out there protesting and marching forward on the Internet, their ‘smartphones’, and social media sites.

So let’s take a look at what concerns them and what they want to see happen over the coming decades. A good starting point was to search and review observations and findings posted in a series of recent articles, blogs, and studies readily available on the Internet.

Selected Articles & Reports

According to the United Nations (UN) Department of Economic & Social Affairs, in a world where climate change wreaks havoc on our economies, societies and environment, where unemployment and inequalities are rampant, and where trust in international cooperation is falling, what do today’s youth believe the future holds for them? Read The Generation that can Change the World – If we let them and the World Youth Report

In a recent IPSOS poll conducted in 15 countries, they found that young people around the world are generally more optimistic about the future than older generations. Despite facing much higher unemployment rates, more instability and lower wages than their predecessors, today’s youth are entering adulthood confident that they can build a better future for themselves and for those that follow. That’s good news.

According to the 2018 IPSOS global poll -
  • When it comes to policy priorities - ending poverty (33%), improving education (31%), and access to jobs (27%) are the top Sustainable Development Goals for leaders to focus on worldwide according to today’s youth.
  • In higher income countries, climate change, gender equality, and ending conflicts are also major priorities.
  • Youth in low and middle-income countries also choose promoting health, economic fairness, and ending hunger as major priorities.
  • Around half of females around the world think life is better for men and boys than for women and girls.

In the United States (US), the 2018 poll found that -
  • US youth are more optimistic than adults about the future of their country (Adults 56%, youth 64%) and the future of the world (Adults 51%, youth 63%).
  • US youth are 14% more likely than their adult peers to say that their future living conditions will be better.
  • US youth are the happiest higher income country when asked about the impact that their government has on their lives.
  • 45% of US youth say that they are knowledgeable about politics and government.
  • In the US, youth are more likely than adults to say that they can make a difference in how their country is governed, by a margin of 14 percentage points (adults 35%, youth 49%).
  • 78% of youth in the US say that all people in their country have basic human rights (78%).
  • Only 7% of US youth say that religion has the most positive impact on their lives.
  • 59% of youth in the US agree that climate change poses a significant threat to their community.

From a Youth Activism movement driving climate action, to an organization expanding digital literacy among young people, to a global youth network for gender equality and reproductive rights. Young people everywhere appear to be stepping in where they believe previous generations have failed.

A group of teenagers in the US has filed a lawsuit claiming that the planet and its natural resources may have been “so profoundly damaged” that the “plaintiffs’ fundamental constitutional rights to life and liberty” are threatened. The science is clear: at its current pace, climate change may irreversibly break the sustainable limits of our planet, leaving generations that are yet to be born to deal with the disastrous consequences. The issue with future generations is that they have no seat at the table to claim and defend their rights. Read The Future is Becoming a Burden on the Young

This is no 'Me Me Me' Generation


It turns out that today’s youth are not a cohort of ‘screenagers’, ‘enfeebled youngsters’ and ‘couch potatoes’, as some older adults believe. As the first generation to grow up alongside always-on social media and smartphones, today’s young people are actually busy bringing about significant changes in social, cultural, business practices, and political behavior across the world. Read about Gen Z - Out to Change the World

Young people are not marching in the streets as much as they are communicating, raising and discussing the major issues of the day in massive online communities that the older generations are not necessarily plugged into. They are discussing and coming up with creative new ideas and innovative solutions for the 21st century with regards to such areas as:

  • Voting Rights
  • Citizenship & Government
  • Population Control
  • Literacy & Education
  • Universal Healthcare
  • Online Retail Industry
  • Transportation Systems
  • Nationalism vs. Globalism
  • International Relations
  • Space Exploration & Settlements
  • Climate Change
  • Clean Alternative Energy
  • Civility & Ethical Behavior
  • Social & Financial Equality
  • Augmented & Virtual Reality Technology
  • Robotics & Artificial Intelligence
  • 4th Generation Manufacturing
  • 21st Century Jobs & Knowledge Workers
  • Agriculture & World Hunger
  • Warfare, Terrorism & Trade Wars

* You might want to also check out the following resources for yourself - IPSOS 2018 Report, EYE2020 Reports, UN World Youth Report, and the Summerton Blog.
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Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Laws Governing Outer Space and Interplanetary Activities in Our Solar System

For those of you interested in Outer Space - This article provides a brief overview of the current laws and regulations developed to date related to Outer Space, Inter-Planetary Exploration and Colonization, Mining Asteroids, Policing and Enforcement, Commercialization, Ownership and much more. As we gear up to become an Interplanetary species, we need to do a lot more thinking about these and the many other complex issues and challenges that may emerge over the coming century. Are you ready for  some of your grandchildren to be working in space?


Background & Definitions

The origins of ‘space law’ date all the way back to 1919, with international law recognizing each country's sovereignty over the airspace directly above their territory, later reinforced at the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation in 1944. The onset of domestic space programs during the Cold War propelled the official creation of initial international space policy by the International Council of Scientific Unions.

The Soviet Union's 1957 launch of the world's first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1, directly spurred the US Congress to pass the Space Act, creating the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Because space exploration required crossing transnational boundaries, it was during this era where space law became a field independent from traditional aerospace law.
 
Since the Cold War, the “Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies”, commonly referred to as the "Outer Space Treaty", has served as the constitutional legal framework and provided a set of principles and procedures constituting current space law. Further, the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS), along with its various subcommittees, are responsible for debating issues of international space law and policy. The UN Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) serves as the secretariat of the Committee and is promoting the policy of “Access to Space for All”.‎

Space law - The body of law governing space-related activities, encompassing both international and domestic agreements, rules, and principles. Key fields of law and domains of interest that need to be included within a comprehensive body of space law over the coming century include: commercial law, space colonization and governance, property and ownership laws, environmental law, mining, health care issues, liability and insurance, transportation, housing, labor laws, militarization and weapons in space, criminal law and law enforcement, ethics and much more. - See Wikipedia on Space Law

Key international treaties on Outer Space that have been negotiated and passed by COPUOS include:

  • The 1963 “Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapon Tests in the Atmosphere, in Outer Space, and Under Water”, called the "Partial Test Ban Treaty".
  • The 1967 "Outer Space Treaty", the most widely adopted treaty agreed to by 104 nations.
  • The 1968 “Agreement on the Rescue of Astronauts, the Return of Astronauts and the Return of Objects Launched into Outer Space”, referred to as the "Rescue Agreement".
  • The 1972 “Convention on International Liability for Damage Caused by Space Objects”, commonly referred to as the "Liability Convention".
  • The 1975 “Convention on Registration of Objects Launched into Outer Space”, called the "Registration Convention".
  • The 1979 “Agreement Governing the Activities of States on the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies”, referred to as the "Moon Treaty".

These key treaties and agreements of international space law cover "non-appropriation of outer space by any one country, arms control, the freedom of exploration, liability for damage caused by space objects, the safety and rescue of spacecraft and astronauts, the prevention of harmful interference with space activities and the environment, the notification and registration of space activities, scientific investigation and the exploitation of natural resources in outer space and the settlement of disputes.”

In addition to the key treaties and agreements on international space law, the UN General Assembly has also adopted the following declarations and legal principles that are described in more detail at Wikipedia on Space Law. They include:

  • The Declaration of Legal Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Uses of Outer Space (1963)
  • Agreement Governing the Activities of States on the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies (1979)
  • The Principles Governing the Use by States of Artificial Earth Satellites for International Direct Television Broadcasting (1982)
  • The Principles Relating to Remote Sensing of the Earth from Outer Space (1986)
  • The Principles Relevant to the Use of Nuclear Power Sources in Outer Space (1992)
  • The Declaration on International Cooperation in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space for the Benefit and in the Interest of All States, Taking into Particular Account the Needs of Developing Countries (1996)

We are now on the threshold of moving from a Type 0 Civilization to a Type I Interplanetary Civilization. (See http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kardashev_scale)
  • Type 0 civilization extracts its energy, information, raw-materials from crude organic-based sources (i.e. food/wood/fossil fuel/books/oral tradition); pressures via natural disaster, natural selection, and societal collapse creates extreme risk of extinction; it's capable of orbital spaceflight; societies that fail to improve social, environmental and medical understanding concurrently with other advancements, frequently accelerated their own extinction.
  • Type I civilization extracts its energy, information, and raw-materials from fusion power, hydrogen, and other "high-density" renewable-resources; is capable of interplanetary spaceflight, interplanetary communication, megascale engineering, and interplanetary colonization, medical and technological singularity, planetary engineering, world government and trade, and stellar system-scale influence; but are still vulnerable to possible extinction.

Findings & Selected Articles

Some of the many other recent articles on Space Laws and Treaties that you might want to explore further include:
Conclusions & Next Steps

The following is a brief summary of some key conclusions, legal issues, and next steps with regards to our civilization’s move into Outer Space and and towards Interplanetary Exploration and Colonization.

  • We are now on the threshold of moving from a Type 0: Earth-bound Civilization to a Type I: Interplanetary Civilization. (See http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kardashev_scale)
  • In a National Geographic article, Elon Musk estimates that a million people could be living and working on Mars and in Outer Space by 2060. Do a quick Internet search on Jobs in Outer Space, you may be surprised by what you find.
  • A more comprehensive body of space law will be needed over the coming century addressing: commercial law, space colonization & governance, property & ownership laws, liability & insurance, militarization & weapons in space, criminal law & law enforcement, environmental issues, mining, health care, housing, labor laws, transportation issues, ethics and so much more.

If you thought the rate of change was going to level off, forget it. I’ve already been preparing my grandkids for the prospect of working in the Space Industry – if not actually working off planet in the coming century. Think about it.




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