Looking into the freshly published Human Development Report, media expert Raul Rebane finds our shame to be the lack of gender equality, Estonia being a land of struggling ladies and stupid gentlemen.
Raul Rebane: a land of struggling ladies and stupid gentlemen
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In the UN Human Development Index, Estonia is placed 33rd for 2012. At the Estonian Human Development report presentation, yesterday, Raul Rebane wondered if we could have come up higher. «Not much higher, I think. By a couple of notches, maybe, as the countries ahead of us have not had to go through what we’ve been through. The countries above 20nd place level… that would take something of a world war calibre. Meaning we have been on the edge [of our capabilities],» he reckoned.
However, Mr Rebane found it significant that, in the light of the report, Estonia is at the top or close to it «in the so-called macro matters» and nearer to bottom in stuff relating to everyday life – such as wage levels, years lived in health, gender balance. «Should it then come as a surprise, that what the people sense seems lower that the charts show?» asked Mr Rebane.
«Thus, Estonia is developing into an unsymmetrical state,» said Mr Rebane. «In sports that would mean a person who does very few exercises, only trains the larger muscle groups, paying no attention to smaller muscles – equalling poor results. Concluding: in addition to big issues, minor ones also have to be dealt with.»
«Minor micro-level things, so close to the people’s skin and telling us that things are bad – these are very numerous,» stated Mr Rebane.
According to Mr Rebane, Estonia striving towards all kinds of freedoms is highly valued in all charts – like internet freedom, democracy etc.
Thinking of the shame factors, gender balance strikes the eye. «Why scramble for reasons, that our ladies work in such fields and gentlemen in others – no use! If we’re the last, we’re the last. A land of struggling ladies and stupid gentlemen. Not sustainable, in the long run.»
«Can a small state, with no oil and no nuclear weapons, make it in global competition?» Mr Rebane continued, suggesting that intellectual competitiveness is what really matters. He underlined us lacking an overall consensus in what is and isn’t important. «We are led by the ideology: let’s make reasonable, rational decisions, then all will be well… if only these national hindrances would disappear, somehow. That’s not sustainable. National traditions, culture of communication – these are the small muscles, carrying us onwards,» said Mr Rebane.