'boy's life expectancy at birth is edging closer to girls, with the average gap down to 4.6 years.'

Oh my god. That is shocking. I never knew males were so far beind women.

'Higher education, which is dominated by women at the rate of 2:1'

I had no idea of this either. Do tell us more.

Signed,

Dorothy Dixer.

597, you still have nott explained what a livable wage is.

Care to do that this time round.

House, I suspect that's due to many women taking part Time studdies, you know, between school hours or after hubbies home from work so
he can look after the kids.

Just a hunch!

'Goldman Sachs noted this as well, in a report in 2009, saying that female productivity is the big concern, running at roughly 50% that of men.'

How productive IS raising children? I wonder how they calculate that.

I know for one, that I could really do all my work for the week in about 10 hours. But I like to drag it out a bit more. Then, in peak times when the boss piles 5 things on me at once, I can impres him with getting everything done under this extreme pressure, whilst still surfing the net for 4 hours a day and even reading some of Arjays crazy links and wondering how I found myself on wikipedia looking up the most random things.

'Real household income has gone up for low and middle-income households'

What is real? Some random cost of living index based not on bananas but strawberries? I think when interest rates are low, and you keep your job, your real income goes up.

'How long can we keep paying people to do stuff that isn't necessary simply so we can say they've got a job?'

Well, what's necessary anyway. I always tell the missus that there really is no need to vacuum 3 times a week. It's obsessive man! Kids need some germs for their immune system.

I remember in Egypt there was heaps of military people all over the place sitting around in groups chewing the fat. One even pointed his AK47 at me for fun to wake me up one morning when I was waiting or the Dive boat.

People need some structure it seems. What better way to wile away the hours than talking sh1t on forums. Its 'productive' in the sense that I enrich you all with my correct perspectives on life. In 'real' life you lot couldn't afford me.

How do they measure the productivity that you lot achieve as the result of my insights?

The great America just might be on the comeback trail. Wages in china are gaining at an ever increasing rate, and china's productivity rate is only half of that of the US.
Rectub has a problem with what a livable wage is. His idea is to pay peanuts for non productive jobs @ 38 hrs a week. Him and Abbott would be a good pare, of skunks.

579,
stop twisting the gist of the post, it's heinous. I didn't make any reference to the work you're referring to. I brought up the subject of unemployable not un-prestigeous. Get your facts straight.
I want you to explain how those who either through inability or as in most cases due to unwillingness can not be employed are suddenly absorbed somehow into productivity ?
The unfortunate who are in various ways too handicapped are not & never should be part of this equation.

Houellie,

"How productive IS raising children? I wonder how they calculate that."

They "don't" calculate that....that is unless you pay someone else to do it - then it gets included in GDP. Which is why everyone is encouraged into the "workforce" and the tots and school-aged kids are parked in an institution. not to mention the old folks.

If you're not taking part in out-of-home work, you're more likely, in our society, to be institutionalised in one form or another.