I'ma learnin'!

I'm scatter-brained right now, but I want to get some things down... I'm learning a lot in my Sociology class.

In Ecuador, persons of the "third age" or tercer edad, which means 65 and above, are at a very disadvantaged position in the economy. Usually, they are unable to purchase cars, open bank accounts, or buy property because they are considered a large financial risk. !!! Unless one has family with whom to live, many are discarded and ignored, left to die alone. Those who have worked and have pension plans have some financial support, and there is a program similar to social security, but most struggle until the last days because they are not employable and cannot afford medical and living expenses.

Around 1998 there was a huge economic crisis, partly because the value of a sucre could fluctuate enough that people lost half of their wealth in a day. A loaf of bread could cost 300 sucres in the morning, and 3,000 in the afternoon. Jamíl Mahuad, the president at the time, decided to implement the American dollar in an attempt to stabilize the economy and have a fixed currency. There was a situation very similar to our great depression, but in order to keep people from running to the bank to retrieve all of their money, the banks froze all of the accounts. Some people would have had to wait for a year before they could access their savings, only allowed to withdraw interest. Banks were closing down left and right, and many DID lose everything. With dollarization, people traded 25,000 sucres for $1, and since 1999 Ecuador's currency is the dollar. Interesting.

Empleadas (housekeepers, maids, cooks...) receive a minimum wage of $130 a month if they work 8 hours a day, 5 days a week.

The government-implemented maternity leave is 3 months with full pay.

The prison system is funded by penalty payments from bounced checks. Children live with their mothers in prison, and it's very common that a room the size of a boxcar houses 30ish people.

For every $1 that a man earns in a job, a woman makes an average of $0.70.