Cross-National Gender Comparison in United States versus Afghanistan

Cross National Gender Comparison
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Cross-National Gender Comparison
Economic Opportunities
In the United States, the percentage of men employed in agriculture is 1.9 while 0.8 for women as of 2019. The percentage remains higher for men in industry employment with a percentage of 29.3 while that of females is 8.9. Dynamics significantly change in the service industry, with women taking the lead at 90.4% compared to 68.8% for men (The World Bank,2021). The percentages for unemployment are relatively similar for both males and females, standing at 3.6 and 3.7 consecutively. In Afghanistan, Agriculture is a major employment opportunity attracting 65.0% of females and 36.6% of men. The percentages for females/males in the industry employment are 25.0/ 6.9, while the figures are 10.0/46.5 in the service employment. Unemployment levels are 13.8% for females and 10.2% for men (The World Bank,2021). From these figures, it is clear that there are some key differences between the two countries. For instance, most women in Afghanistan work in the agriculture industry while those in the United States work in the service industry. The unemployment rates are also higher in Afghanistan compared to the United States. It follows that there are more economic opportunities for either gender in the United States.
Health
At birth, the life expectancy is 81.4% for females and 76.3 for males in the United States. The mortality rate for children below the age of five for every 1000 live births is 5.9 for females and 7.0 for males (The World Bank, 2021). Data for people living with HIV is not present in 2019, but judging from a percentage of 0.1 in 2000, one can conclude that the number is almost negligible. In Afghanistan, on the other hand, the life expectancy at birth is 66.4 for females while it is 63 for males. The percentage of child mortality rates is 56.6 for females and 63.8 for males (The World Bank, 2021). Further, the percentage of people who are 15 years or older and living with HIV is 29.0 (The World Bank, 2021). When it comes to health dynamics, it seems that the females are a little bit more advantaged compared to males in both countries. For instance, in both countries, the life expectancy is higher for females than males. The child mortality rate is also higher for males in both countries. Despite these similarities, the scale of the problem is significantly higher in Afghanistan compared to the United States.
Education
There is no doubt that education is one of the best measures of development. In the United States, tertiary school enrolment for females is 102.4% for females, while it is 74.9% for males (The World Bank, 2021). These statistics show that males are disadvantaged when it comes to access to higher education. Data also reveals that the primary level completion rate is significantly higher for males at 104.5% compared to 95.5% for females (The World Bank, 2021). The lower secondary completion rate is relatively similar for both genders, suggesting an equal opportunity for both males an...