This is a call for meaningful action by all the women of the world. Our fight for gender equality will never be successful until we stop rampant economic inequality—and its associated income inequality—that shackles women. A fair and equal society cannot be achieved without first addressing economic inequality as the main factor allowing a male-dominated society to exist.

This forum is based upon the 2016 Oxfam Briefing Paper Summary, WOMEN AND THE 1%. It explains how extreme economic inequality and gender inequality must be tackled together. This publication clearly indicates that because the Woman Rights Movement is not directly confronting economic inequality, it is indirectly and inextricably linked to economic inequality in a negative way. Here is a link to the publication:

https://www.oxfam.org/sites/www.oxfam.o ... m-en_0.pdf

The publication’s salient points are as follows:

“This paper firstly argues that unless the causes of extreme
economic inequality are urgently addressed, the main beneficiaries
of women’s economic empowerment will be the richest, the majority
of whom are men.”

“Secondly, this paper will argue that the two processes that drive extreme concentration of wealth, political capture and market fundamentalism, are also standing in the way of gender equality and women's rights, and particularly those of women in developing countries.”

The First Rate Crowd platform is specifically designed to fight against economic and income inequality. Read WOMEN AND THE 1%, then participate on this forum. Join us in the fight to improve our lives and make the world a just and equal place for everyone. Our hope and dreams can be achieved.

This paper firstly argues that unless the causes of extreme economic inequality are urgently addressed, the main beneficiaries
of women’s economic empowerment will be the richest, the majority of whom are men.

Here is more fuel to add to this unjust fire and another reason why we should stop this now.
The Huffington Post 03/11/2018
Trump Is Remaking The Courts In His Image: White, Male and Straight
He’s nominated 87 people to be lifetime federal judges. They’re about as diverse as a casting call for “Mad Men.”
By Jennifer Bendery https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/tr ... 47bec6107c

More than a year into his presidency, Donald Trump is making the nation’s courts look a lot more like him: white, male and straight.

To date, Trump has nominated 87 people to be judges with lifetime tenure on U.S. district courts, circuit courts or the Supreme Court. Eighty of them are white, or nearly 92 percent. One is black, one is Latino and five are Asian or Pacific American. He hasn’t nominated any Native American judges.

Put another way:

The president also keeps nominating men. Sixty-seven of his court picks are male, compared to 20 who are female.

That translates to about 77 percent being men.

This will obviously maintain the status quo with rich men suppressing women through economic inequality. More needs to be done to address the real issues women face, that is to say, economic inequality.

In places where there is gender equality, men and women are all happier across the board. So it’s in the best interest of men (and society) to treat women fairly in all aspects.

The bottom line is, women will never have gender equality until there is pay equality and will never have pay equality until something is done about economic inequality. Then the happiness will flow.

9 Questions for Dan Buettner: Happiness Lessons From the Happiest Places in the World

Blue Zones founder Dan Buettner spent the last two years working on The Blue Zones of Happiness. He took a tack similar to previous Blue Zones longevity research: first, he identified the statistically happiest populations; and then, through regression analysis and shoe-leather journalism, he distilled the lessons they have to offer the rest of us.

https://bluezones.com/2017/10/happiness ... the-world/

The Economic Inequality Rating App (EIRA) and the Community Business Venture are the way to go. I have been reading more and more posts on this site about these initiatives. I have come to the conclusion the only realistic way out of our woman's conundrum is through these mechanisms. Until we reach pay parity with men, there will be no true equality.

From Sterling's post #4, under the heading, "Let us know what you think about Wilkinson's video?," we know the technological singularity will eclipse the non wealthy most of whom are women.

Peter Diamandis—founder and chairman of the XPRIZE Foundation as well as cofounder and executive chairman of Singularity University—is well situated to understand this new, accelerated standard for thinking. In his December 2016 video titled "Imagining the Future: The Transformation of Humanity" he bemoans his conversations with undisclosed Silicon Valley friends, technologists, and colleagues: "People have no idea how fast things are moving....” In an evolutionary or Darwinian sense, not knowing how fast something is moving can lead to the rapid extinction of a species. Perhaps Herbert Spencer's expression "survival of the fittest" is as timely now as it was over a century ago.

We also know there is no biological way out of this. We cannot change our biological status fast enough and breed our way out of this. God knows, we have failed at this race since time immemorial. Here we have the Admin of post #1 of this topic stating something I very much believe,

Our fight for gender equality will never be successful until we stop rampant economic inequality—and its associated income inequality—that shackles women. A fair and equal society cannot be achieved without first addressing economic inequality as the main factor allowing a male-dominated society to exist.

Added all together, we need to do something different and in a different way.
Sterling goes on to say,

We have no choice. But we must organize and mobilize in order that it be done.

However this mobilization to counter those wealthy individuals who wish to actually do us harm needs to be a different paradigm moving forward. One cannot fight a war with the last war's technology and strategies. It is especially true regarding the timeliness of the mobilization because political solutions from days gone by will also no longer be adequate. This is today's reality as we move towards an ever accelerating technological singularity.

It is obvious we are in a war, a literal fight for our very survival, and we need new ideas and fresh blood to win the day. I am in agreement when Sterling goes on to say the FRC ideas are really our best way out,

This brings me to the central point as to why the Community Business Venture is so important. It allows us to organize with new ideas, technology and innovations as a means to mobilize. These ideas will need to come from the collaborative efforts of our member's collective psyche. It is the only way we can win. A good example of these new ideas is the Economic Inequality Rating App (EIRA) (found on the home page). Once developed, and with a sufficient amount of the population using it, it is a guaranteed way to stop economic inequality. Whereas Wilkinson's video points out the corrosive effects of economic inequality upon our society, FRC gives us the tools to fight back. Wilkinson presents the problems, FRC offers the solutions.

When I first read through the site’s highlights of the 2016 Oxfam Briefing Summary - Women and the 1% I thought the language… harsh.

“This publication clearly indicates that because the Woman Rights Movement is not directly confronting economic inequality, it is indirectly and inextricably linked to economic inequality in a negative way.”

Really? Could economic inequality be undermining such a beneficial movement; could they really be linked? Well, the short answer is YES! and the reasonings are clearer than expected. In fact, so clear, it is simply infuriating.

The summary does well in describing the benefits of gender equality and how equal participation drives economic growth, an easy concept I learned back in high school Geography. All these years later, I still remember my teacher explaining that when a country increases the literacy rate for women, the resulting outcome is an increase in economic growth for the entire country. Women’s equality movement = good.

However, are we seeing the maximum benefits of these social movements? Are WOMEN benefiting? Sadly, not in countries with high economic inequality and tax regulations rigged to benefit only the wealthiest. This small group disproportionally receives and hoards the benefits associated with economic growth. The final cherry on top, most of these individuals are men.

“Earlier this year, Oxfam revealed that 62 individuals own as much wealth as the poorest 3.6 billion people.1”
Sad, sad, sad.

I have always been strongly in favor of gender equality. And this article to great degree express my sentiments on this subject. But it had not occurred to me that gender equality does not equate to economic equality. A woman can buy an item with her extra dollars. She can analyze their brands, their quality and characteristics before making her purchase, but without the EIRA app, she cannot tell to whom or to what (corporation) the benefit will accrue.

So it becomes crystal clear that gender equality is not going to close the ever-widening economic inequality gap. They need to be addressed jointly. After making her quality and price analysis, the female purchaser must also be able to see who will benefit from her purchase. Will the profit go to the 1% or to the increasingly improvershed 99%?

So various womens' groups should be encouraged to support the development and production of the EIRA app. And various political forces, both female and male should also be encouraged to come board with this idea. And as marketing analysts know, the teenager to 30s group is one of the largest buying segments. They too need to be educated as to the situation and encouraged to use the app.

Some other thoughts that come to mind are the following:
1. Women who stay in the home, who work at home. This is at this point in time, unpaid labor. These women are not even in the workforce to ask for fair pay and equal pay. What usually happens to them is that when they are ready to join the workforce,their is little possibility of having a 'decent job', much less have one that pays equivalent salary and benefits to that of a man in the same position.

They are penalized economically for being a homemaker. Which also implies that they will have less social security and/or any pension. So, this needs to be discussed and some new social/cultural mechanisms instituted to correctly value economically this situation. Additionally, many work at home moms and wifes make significant economic purchases over the course of their lives. They often are the deciding vote on what a husband or significant other decides to purchase. So during the course of their lives, they also can make decisions using the EIRA app to send profits to the 99% rather than the 1%.

2. As time passes, women are coming more and more into the forefront of cultural decision making. To speak solely of economic inequality goes wide of discussing other issues. As women become more powerful decisions makers, the value placed on economic success as the SOLE major factor in having an equitable society is going to shift. Women entering the market place 50 years ago tried to appear as masculine as possible....wearing suits, being competitive, pretending their home life didn't exist, etc. now, things are changing: nurturing values, cohesive group values,bonding are becoming more prevalent and persistent in the market place. Women, when they are in control of an economic segment are prone to designing work places with time off for parenting purposes, for mental refreshment breaks, and for cooperation rather than competition and the all pervading gold standard of economic success. I don't know how this will play into stopping economic inequality, but it is part of the overall discussion.

3. Education of the young as well as older generations is imperative. We all know that cultural expectations play a large part in what happens in all aspects of our lives. Children must be brought up to expect both gender and economic equality. And to be outraged when they don't get it. This also implies that they have political equality with men as well. To write laws, statutes, and regulations that protect and promote their gender, economic and political equality.

4. Not just he USA or western Europe. All nations and communities must be brought into the struggle for economic equality. Women suffer much and differently in various other countries. In Iran, in Egypt, in many other countries, women are politically disenfranchised and have no contol over the ownership of their bodies, much less a chance to address economic equality. Yet, there are efforts, such as those promoted by Melinda Gates in Africa to endow women with cell phones, education and training to take care of themselves and their families. These women would most likely be thrilled to use the EIRA app to make sure their hard work benefits the poor such as themselves.

In any case, the struggle for economic equality has many aspects and is necessary for the progress of the planet into a more sane, just and kind environment.