Lydia Mihelic Pulsipher • Alex Pulsipher
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FIFTH EDITION
© 2011 W. H. Freeman and Company

H OUSEKEEPING I TEMS
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Any feedback on our two guest speakers from
Thursday?
Tonight there’s a lecture at 7 on sea level rise and its implications for the 21 st century in
Building 356, Room 109 (the auditorium).
Admission is free.
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In the folder, you’ll find information on
International Development Week, which leads off with the keynote, “Global Water, Local Water,” next Monday from 5:30 to 7 in the Theatre.
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Today, we’ll finish Latin America and start in on
Europe.
Can I see Sarah after class?

EUROPE –

F IGURE 4.2 P IG FARMS IN R OMANIA AND THE
U NITED S TATES

P HYSICAL P ATTERNS
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Europe is a region of peninsulas upon peninsulas
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The entire European region is one giant peninsula extending off the Eurasian continent
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One result of all of these peninsulas is that much of Europe feels the climate-moderating effect of the large bodies of water that surround it

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The basic pattern is mountains, uplands, and lowlands, all stretching roughly west to east in wide bands
Europe’s largest mountain chain stretches west to east through the middle of the continent
The Alps are the highest and most central part of this formation
Europe lies on the westernmost extension of the Eurasian Plate

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Extending northward from the central mountain zone is a band of low-lying hills and plateaus that is a transitional zone between the high mountains and lowlands
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The lowlands of the North European Plain is the most extensive landform in Europe
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The coastal zones of the North European
Plain are densely populated

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The rivers of Europe link its interior to the surrounding seas
- The Rhine
- The Danube
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The economic and environmental roles of the
Danube River basin are getting increased attention

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Nearly all of Europe’s original forests are gone to make way for farmland, pasture, towns, and cities
Today, forests with very large and old trees exist only in scattered areas
The dominant vegetation is crops and pasture grass
Nonetheless, there is far less urban sprawl; cities tend to be compact and one can often see the countryside from the city itself

Siena in Tuscany. Source: http://www.revealedrome.com
/2010/10/siena-a-gem-of-a
-tuscan-city.html

C LIMATE
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Europe has three main climate types: temperate midlatitude, Mediterranean, and humid continental
The temperate midlatitude climate dominates in northwestern Europe
A broad warm-water ocean current called the
North Atlantic Drift brings large amounts of warm water to the coasts of Europe
Farther to the south, the Mediterranean climate prevails (warm, dry summers and mild, rainy winters)
In eastern Europe the more extreme humid continental climate prevails

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Europeans are now increasingly taking action on environmental issues at the local and global scales
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Europe’s air, seas, and rivers remain some of the most polluted in the world, and there is still a long way to go to meet the European
Union’s stated environmental goals
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Nonetheless, Europe is in the vanguard of sustainability theory and practice, and the
European Union encourages countries to raise their environmental and social standards and not lower them

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This region continues to have a major impact on the biosphere through the air, water, and sea pollution it generates. However, for the most part, its per capita ecological footprint is considerably below that of North America
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Europe is itself especially vulnerable to a number of the potential effects of climate change, all of which will affect agriculture and industries such as tourism and transportation. It also saw a major heat wave in
2003 that killed thousands of people

E UROPE ’ S E NERGY R ESOURCES
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Europe’s main energy sources have shifted over the years from coal to petroleum and natural gas
(also nuclear power in some countries)
The 27 members of the European Union (EU27) get a large portion of their fuel supplies from
Russia
The EU27 depend on nuclear power for 30 percent of their total needs
The European Union wishes to increase its use of renewable energy in order to reduce fuel imports and thereby increase energy security, and some countries are making extraordinary strides

A IR P OLLUTION
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Air pollution is particularly heavy over the North
European Plain due to the region’s heavy industry, dense transportation routes, and large populations
The highest level of air pollution is found in the former communist states of Central and North
Europe
Central Europe’s severe environmental problems developed in part because the Marxist-Leninist policies promoted by the Soviet Union and its allies emphasized industrialization at all costs and an ethic of humans dominating over nature

F RESHWATER AND S EAWATER P OLLUTION
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Sources of water pollution in Europe include:
- Insufficiently treated sewage
- Chemicals and silt in the runoff from agricultural plots and residential units
- consumer packaging litter
- petroleum residues
- industrial effluent
The Baltic, Mediterranean, and Black seas are nearly landlocked bodies of water that are prone to accumulating pollution
Water exits the Mediterranean only after it has been in the sea for 80 years

T HE W IDE R EACH OF E UROPE ’ S
E NVIRONMENTAL I MPACT
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Europeans consume one-fifth of the world’s imports and many of these goods have a high virtual water component
Nearly all EU countries import more virtual water than they export
This is the same with other nonrenewable resources imported from outside Europe
The environmental impacts of Europe’s virtual water consumption should be counted along with
Europe’s total impact on the biosphere

E UROPEAN L EADERSHIP IN R ESPONSE TO
G LOBAL C LIMATE C HANGE
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Europe leads the world in response to global climate change
Europe has been more willing than any other region to act on climate change, largely because it recognizes the economic sense in doing so
Recent research suggests doing nothing about global warming would shrink the EU’s GDP by
20 percent

E UROPEAN L EADERSHIP IN R ESPONSE TO
G LOBAL C LIMATE C HANGE
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Europe’s increasing concern about global warming may also be influenced by public alarm at recent abnormal weather
The summer of 2003 broke all high-temperature records for Europe
In 2002 and 2006, rainfall and snowfall in
Central Europe reached record levels
In the spring of 2006, rivers flooded for weeks

P ROGRESS IN G REEN B EHAVIOR
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Europeans use large amounts of resources and contribute about one-quarter of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions
One European resident averages only one-half the energy consumption of the average North
American resident
These energy-saving practices are related in part to the high population densities and social customs of the region, but also to widespread explicit support for ecological principles
Green (environmentally activist) political parties influence national policies in all European countries

P ROGRESS IN G REEN B UILDING
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There is no generally accepted definition of green building
In the European Union, green building refers to the all-around sustainability of a building design
Thus far Europe has outpaced the United States in green building through incorporation of renewable energy technologies and passivehaus techniques

C HANGES IN T RANSPORTATION
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Europeans have long favored fast rail networks for both passengers and cargo rather than private cars, trucks, and multilane highways
Worry about the relationship between CO
2 emissions and climate change has created a noticeable trend toward less energy-efficient but more flexible motorized road transport
Now rising fuel costs and CO
2 emissions are increasingly being considered in the design of multimodal transport that links high-speed rail to road, air, and water transport
Parts of Europe have a strong cycling culture

Source : Google Images

H UMAN P ATTERNS O VER T IME
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Over the last 500 years, Europe has profoundly influenced how the world trades, fights, thinks, and governs itself
Attempts to explain this influence are wideranging
- One argument is that Europeans are somehow a superior breed of humans – popular in the 19 th century, but now discredited
- Another is that Europe’s many bays, peninsulas, and navigable rivers have promoted commerce to a greater extent there than elsewhere
- Some, such as geographers Jared Diamond
(Guns, Germs, and Steel), argue that Europeans were just in the right place in the right time

S OURCES OF E UROPEAN C ULTURE
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Starting about 10,000 years ago, the practice of agriculture and animal husbandry gradually spread into Europe from Southwest and Central
Asia
Mining, metalworking, and mathematics also came to Europe from these places and from North
Africa
Economic innovations came from Muslim traders and bankers
The Chinese contributed gunpowder and paper
All of these innovations opened the way for a wider range of economic activity (most notably trade) in Europe

S OURCES OF E UROPEAN C ULTURE
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The first European civilizations were ancient
Greece (800 to 86 B .
C .
E .) and Rome (100 B .
C .
E . to
450 C .
E .)
Both were located in southern Europe
European traditions of science, art, and literature were heavily based on Greek ideas, which were themselves derived from yet earlier Egyptian and
Southwest Asian sources

S OURCES OF E UROPEAN C ULTURE
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The Romans, after first borrowing heavily from Greek culture, also left important legacies in Europe
Many Europeans today speak Romance languages which are largely derived from Latin, the language of the Roman Empire
Rome was the origin of European laws that determine how individuals own, buy, and sell land
These laws have been spread throughout the world by
Europeans
Roman practices used in colonizing new lands also shaped much of Europe

S OURCES OF E UROPEAN C ULTURE
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The influence of Islamic civilization on Europe is often overlooked
During a period known as the Dark Ages, pre-
Muslim and then Muslim scholars preserved learning from Rome and Greece and added new findings in mathematics and other disciplines
The Arabs, Persians, and Turks all brought new technologies, food crops, architectural principles, and textiles to Europe during the Ottoman
Empire

T HE I NEQUALITIES OF F EUDALISM
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As the Roman Empire declined, a social system known as feudalism evolved during the medieval period
This system originated from the need to defend rural areas against local bandits and raiders
The objective of feudalism was to have a sufficient number of heavily armed, professional fighting men, or knights, to defend a much larger group of serfs, who were legally bound to live on and cultivate plots of land for the knights

T HE I NEQUALITIES OF F EUDALISM
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Over time these knights became a wealthy class called the nobility. Some of the nobility had more prestige and power than others
Some nobles gained so much power that they became centralized rulers (kings or monarchs).
Their domains took the form of nation-states or empires
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Most serfs lived in poverty outside castle walls, and much like slaves, were legally barred from leaving the lands they cultivated for their protectors
Wars were common and castles provided bulwark of protection as well as outposts for securing newly conquered territories

R OLE OF U RBANIZATION IN THE
T RANSFORMATION OF E UROPE
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While rural life followed established feudal patterns, new political and economic institutions were developing in Europe’s towns and cities
Thick walls provided defense against raiders, and commerce and crafts supplied livelihoods
Located along trade routes, Europe’s urban areas were exposed to new ideas, technologies, and institutions. They also developed a measure of political autonomy and served as a refuge for escaped serfs
Some institutions provided the foundations for
Europe’s modern economy

R OLE OF U RBANIZATION IN THE
T RANSFORMATION OF E UROPE
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Over time, Europe’s urban areas established a pace of social and technological change that left the feudal rural areas far behind
A related outgrowth of urban Europe was a philosophy known as humanism, which emphasized the dignity and worth of the individual regardless of wealth or social status
The liberating influences of European urban life transformed the practice of religion
Ideas spread faster with the invention of the
European version of the printing press, which enabled widespread literacy

E UROPEAN C OLONIALISM :
A N A CCELERATION OF G LOBALIZATION
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Increased commerce and cultural exchange began a period of globalization that persists today
Mercantilism: a strategy for increasing a country’s power and wealth by acquiring colonies and managing all aspects of their production, transport, and trade
Mercantilism supported the Industrial
Revolution in Europe. The development of
Europe was literally underwritten by the exploitation of the colonies.

E UROPEAN C OLONIALISM :
A N A CCELERATION OF G LOBALIZATION
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By the twentieth century, European colonial systems had strongly influenced nearly every part of the world
The overseas empires of England, the
Netherlands, and eventually France were the beginnings of the modern global economy

T HE I NDUSTRIAL R EVOLUTION
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Britain developed a small but growing trading empire in the Caribbean, North America, and
South Asia
This provided Britain with access to a wide range of raw materials
Sugar, produced by British colonies in the
Caribbean, was an especially important trade crop
By the late eighteenth century, Britain was introducing mechanization into its industries

U RBANIZATION AND D EMOCRATIZATION
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Industrialization led to massive growth in urban areas in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries
Extremely low living standards in Europe’s cities created tremendous pressures for change in the political order
Radical movements – such as socialism and anarchism – grew amongst the working classes
After lengthy struggles, democracy was expanded to Europe’s huge and growing working class
In addition, efforts were made to unify pseudoentities such as Italy and Germany that were still divided into tiny principalities

U RBANIZATION AND D EMOCRATIZATION
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In 1789, the French Revolution led to the first major inclusion of common people in the political process in Europe
The democratic expansion created by the French
Revolution ultimately proved short-lived as elitedominated governments soon regained control in
France
Nevertheless, the French Revolution provided crucial inspiration to later urban democratic political movements in many parts of the world

T HE I MPACT OF C OMMUNISM
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Popular discontent erupted periodically in the form of new revolutionary political movements
Karl Marx framed the mounting social unrest in
Europe’s cities as a struggle between socioeconomic classes
Marx’s ideas inspired the creation of a revolutionary communist state in 1917

P OPULAR D EMOCRACY AND N ATIONALISM
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Political movements among workers were more successful at expanding democracy
Innumerable struggles between labor and the authorities continued until eventually workers gained the right to unionize
The development of democracy was also linked to the idea of nationalism, or allegiance to the state
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The creation of unified nation-states, such as
France, often led to the suppression of minorities, such as the Bretons, a Celtic-speaking people living in Brittany

D EMOCRACY AND THE W ELFARE S TATE
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Public pressure for improved living standards moved most European governments toward becoming welfare states, partly to avoid more revolutionary outcomes
In a welfare state governments accept responsibility for the well-being of their people, guaranteeing basic necessities
All such states – even the best, such as in
Scandinavian countries – have seen some erosion in recent years because of fiscal constraints and ideological shifts

T WO W ORLD W ARS AND T HEIR
A FTERMATH
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Between 1914 and 1945, two horribly destructive world wars left Europe in ruins
At least 20 million people died in World War I
(1914–1918) and 70 million in World War II
(1939–1945)
During World War II, Germany’s Nazi government killed 15 million civilians
Eleven million civilians died at the hands of the
Nazis during the Holocaust, a massive execution of 6 million Jews and 5 million Roma (Gypsies)

T WO W ORLD W ARS AND T HEIR
A FTERMATH
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After World War II ended in 1945, Germany was divided into two parts, East Germany and West Germany
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The line between East Germany and West
Germany was part of what was called the
iron curtain, a long, fortified border zone that separated western Europe from eastern
Europe
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The eastern part of Europe was under Soviet domination, and west was largely subordinate to the U.S.

T HE C OLD W AR
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The division of Europe created a period of conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union known as the Cold War, which lasted from 1945 to 1991
The central issue was the competition between capitalism and communism
It was global conflict and brought the world on more than one occasion to the brink of nuclear war

D ECOLONIZATION , D EMOCRATIZATION ,
AND C ONFLICT IN M ODERN E UROPE
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By the 1960s, most former European colonies had gained independence
Despite democracy’s long history in Europe, it nearly disappeared during the two world wars
Then post-war western Europe made remarkable progress in reorganizing itself around democratic principles and humanitarian ideals

C URRENT G EOGRAPHIC I SSUES
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Europe today is in a state of transition as a result of two major changes that occurred during the 1990s:
The demise of the Soviet Union
The rise of the European Union

T HE E UROPEAN U NION :
A R ISING S UPERPOWER
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The original plan after the trauma of World War
II was simply to work toward a level of economic and social integration that would make possible the free flow of goods and people across national borders
Some Europeans believe that the European
Union should become a global counterforce to the
United States in political and military affairs

S TEPS IN C REATING THE E UROPEAN
U NION
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The first major step in achieving economic unity took place in 1958
Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, France,
Italy, and West Germany formed the European
Economic Community (EEC)
In 1992, the concept of the EEC was expanded to that of the European Union, which is concerned with more than just economic policy

S TEPS IN C REATING THE E UROPEAN
U NION
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A united Germany facilitated the further expansion of the European Union into the former communist countries of Central Europe in 2004, then into southeast Europe when Romania and
Bulgaria joined in 2007
Membership in the European Union became especially attractive to countries in Central
Europe after the demise of the Soviet Union

S TEPS IN C REATING THE E UROPEAN U NION
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Standards for EU membership:
- A country must achieve political stability and have a democratically elected government
- Each country has to adjust its constitution to EU standards
- Each must also have a functioning market economy that is open to investment by foreignowned companies and that has well-controlled banks
- Finally, farms and industries must comply with strict regulations governing the finest details of their products and the health of environments

S TEPS IN C REATING THE E UROPEAN
U NION
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Switzerland, Norway, and Iceland have chosen not to join the European Union
These three countries have long treasured their neutral role in world politics
During the 2008–2009 recession, Iceland began discussions to enter the European Union, but was not immediately welcomed because of its financial troubles. These have since been resolved
Turkey is the next most likely candidate to join the European Union

EU G OVERNING I NSTITUTIONS
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The European Union has one executive branch and two legislative bodies
The European Commission acts like an executive branch of government
Each of the 27 member states gets one commissioner, who is appointed for a 5-year term

EU G OVERNING I NSTITUTIONS
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The European Parliament is directly elected by
EU citizens, with each country electing a proportion of seats based on its population
The Parliament elects the president of the
European Commission, who serves for 2½ years as a head of state and head of foreign policy
Laws must be passed in Parliament by 55 percent of the member states

EU G OVERNING I NSTITUTIONS
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The Council of the European Union is similar to the U.S. Senate in that it is the more powerful of the two legislative bodies
Its members are not elected but consist of one minister of government from each EU country
Minister assigned to attend depends on the agenda: foreign affairs, agriculture, industry, the environment, etc.
The Council of the European Union acts with
Parliament to enact legislation

E CONOMIC I NTEGRATION AND
A C OMMON C URRENCY
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European national economies were joined into a common market
Companies in any EU country now have access to a much larger market and the potential for larger profits through economies of scale
The EU economy now encompasses close to 492 million people
Collectively, the EU countries are wealthy; their joint economy was almost $15 trillion in 2008

E CONOMIC I NTEGRATION AND A C OMMON
C URRENCY
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The official currency of the European Union is the euro (€)
Sixteen EU countries now use the euro
Countries that use the euro have a greater voice in the creation of EU economic policies
Depending on global financial conditions, either the euro or the U.S. dollar is the preferred currency of international trade and finance

T HE E UROPEAN U NION AND
G LOBALIZATION
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The European Union is pursuing a number of strategies designed to ensure that it continues to be economically competitive
A primary focus is on keeping exports a central component of national economies
One strategy is to relocate factories from the wealthiest EU countries to the relatively poorer
Other strategies include holding down domestic wages and emphasizing the quality of European exports

NATO AND THE R ISE OF THE E UROPEAN
U NION AS A G LOBAL P EACEMAKER
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A new role for the European Union as a global peacemaker and peacekeeper is developing through the North Atlantic Treaty Organization
(NATO)
NATO originally included the United States,
Canada, the countries of western Europe, and
Turkey; it now includes almost all the EU countries as well
With the United States preoccupied with Iraq,
NATO assumed more of a role as a global peacekeeper

F OOD P RODUCTION AND
THE E UROPEAN U NION
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Europeans prefer food from European farms to imported food
They pay more for food than do people in the
United States
Most food is now produced on large mechanized farms that are efficient
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Romania has over one-quarter of the farms in the
European Union

T HE C OMMON A GRICULTURAL P ROGRAM
(CAP)
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The European Union established the Common
Agricultural Program (CAP), meant to guarantee secure and safe food supplies at affordable prices
The CAP aids farmers by placing tariffs on imported agricultural goods and by giving subsidies (payments to farmers) to underwrite their costs of production, this putting non-
European farmers at a disadvantage

G ROWTH OF C ORPORATE A GRICULTURE
AND F OOD M ARKETING
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As small family farms disappear, the trend is toward consolidating smaller farms into larger, more profitable operations
These farms tend to employ very few laborers and use more machinery and chemical inputs
The move toward corporate agriculture is strongest in Central Europe

E UROPE ’ S G ROWING S ERVICE E CONOMIES
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As industrial jobs have declined across the region, most Europeans have found jobs in the service economy
Services such as the provision of health care, education, finance, tourism, and information technology are now the engine of Europe’s integrated economy
A major component of Europe’s service economy is tourism

E UROPE ’ S G ROWING S ERVICE E CONOMIES
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Europe is the most popular tourist destination in the world
One job in eight in the European Union is related to tourism
Tourism generates 13.5 percent of the EU’s gross domestic product
Service occupations increasingly involve the use of technology
Europe leads the world in cell phone use

P OPULATION D ISTRIBUTION AND
U RBANIZATION
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There are currently about 525 million Europeans
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492 million live within the European Union
Europe is one of the more densely occupied regions on earth
Most of this population now lives in cities
These cities are the focus of the modern
European economy
However, there is a healthy and viable rural culture

P OPULATION D ISTRIBUTION AND
U RBANIZATION
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In West, North, and South Europe, more than 75 percent of the population lives in urban areas
Even in Central Europe, the least urbanized part of the region, around 70 percent of people live in cities
Nearly all the cities in Europe have expanded around their perimeters in concentric circles of apartment blocks
Land is scarce and expensive in Europe, so only a small percentage of Europeans live in singlefamily homes

E UROPE ’ S A GING P OPULATION
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Europe’s population is aging as families are choosing to have fewer children and life expectancies are increasing
Life expectancies now range close to 80 years in
North, West, and South Europe
Those 14 years and under declined from 27 percent to 15 percent, while those over 65 increased from 9 percent to 16 percent between
1960 and 2009
Overall, Europe is now close to a negative rate of natural increase

E UROPE ’ S A GING P OPULATION
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By 2000, twenty-five percent of Europeans were choosing to have no children at all
The reasons for these trends are complex
More and more women want professional careers
25 percent of Germans are choosing to remain unmarried well into their thirties
Governments also make few provisions for working mothers beyond paid maternity leave

I MMIGRATION AND M IGRATION :
N EEDS AND F EARS
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Until the mid-1950s, the net flow of migrants was out of Europe
By the 1990s the net flow was into Europe
In the 1990s, most of the European Union implemented the Schengen Accord, an agreement that allows free movement of people and goods across common borders
The accord has facilitated trade, employment, tourism, and most controversially migration

A TTITUDES T OWARD I NTERNAL AND
I NTERNATIONAL M IGRANTS AND C ITIZENSHIP
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Europeans have ambivalent attitudes toward migrants
The internal flow of migration is mostly from
Central Europe into North, West, and South
Europe
These Central European migrants are mostly treated fairly, although prejudices against the supposed backwardness of Central Europe are still evident

A TTITUDES T OWARD I NTERNAL AND
I NTERNATIONAL M IGRANTS AND C ITIZENSHIP
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Immigrants from outside Europe, so-called international immigrants, meet with varying acceptance
International immigrants often come legally and illegally from Europe’s former colonies and protectorates across the globe
Many Turks and North Africans come legally as guest workers who are expected to stay for only a few years

A TTITUDES T OWARD I NTERNAL AND
I NTERNATIONAL M IGRANTS AND C ITIZENSHIP
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Central and South Europe are the least tolerant of new immigrants
North and West Europe, with higher incomes and generally more stable economies, are the most tolerant
Cultural issues also influence attitudes toward immigrants

A TTITUDES T OWARD I NTERNAL AND
I NTERNATIONAL M IGRANTS AND C ITIZENSHIP
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Across Europe, anti-immigration views, especially toward non-Europeans, are becoming more common
Mainstream politicians increasingly support stricter controls
In response, the European Union is increasing its efforts to curb illegal immigration from outside
Europe while at the same time helping EU citizens to be more tolerant

A TTITUDES T OWARD I NTERNAL AND
I NTERNATIONAL M IGRANTS AND C ITIZENSHIP
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Anti-foreigner sentiment has been a hindrance to acquiring citizenship across Europe
In 2004, more than 650,000 became citizens of an
EU country; the largest numbers were in
Germany, France, and the UK
Citizenship usually requires an extended period of legal residency, evidence of a good work record, and proficiency in the country’s main language

R ULES FOR A SSIMILATION :
M USLIMS IN E UROPE
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In Europe, culture plays a larger role in defining differences between people than race and skin color
Assimilation in Europe usually means giving up the home culture and adopting the ways of the new country
Muslims, presently the focus of assimilation issues in the European Union, have lived in
Europe in small pockets for well over 1000 years

R ULES FOR A SSIMILATION :
M USLIMS IN E UROPE
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Muslims have largely assimilated thoroughly to, and identify with, their home countries
Some have clung to traditional dress, gender roles, and religious values, while others have accepted and practice European culture
There has been significant controversy in France over the banning of the wearing of chadors in public places
There has also been targeted acts of violence against immigrants

C HANGING G ENDER R OLES
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Gender roles in Europe have changed significantly from the days when most women married young and worked in the home or on the family farm
Increasing numbers of European women are working outside the home
Nevertheless, European public opinion among both women and men largely holds that women are less able than men to perform the types of work typically done by men

C HANGING G ENDER R OLES
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Male advantages have a stronger hold in Central and South Europe today than they do in West and North Europe
Working women usually face what is called a
double day: they are expected to do most of the domestic work in the evening in addition to their job outside the home during the day
Many EU policies encourage gender equality

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C HANGING G ENDER R OLES
Managers in the EU bureaucracy are increasingly female
Well over half the university graduates in Europe are now women
However, the political influence and economic wellbeing of European women lag behind those of
European men
In most European national parliaments, women make up less than a third of elected representatives
Although change is clearly underway in the European
Union, women generally serve only in the lower ranks of government

C HANGING G ENDER R OLES
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Because women are largely absent from policymaking positions, their progress has been slow on many fronts
In 2006, female unemployment was higher than male unemployment in all but a few countries
Throughout the European Union, women are paid less than men for equal work

S OCIAL W ELFARE S YSTEMS
AND T HEIR O UTCOMES
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In nearly all European countries, tax-supported systems of social welfare or social protection (the
EU term) provide all citizens with basic needs
Europeans generally pay much higher taxes than
North Americans, and in return they expect more in services
The European Union has more doctors and hospital beds per citizen and better outcomes than the United States in terms of life expectancy and infant mortality

S OCIAL W ELFARE S YSTEMS
AND T HEIR O UTCOMES
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Europeans do not agree on the goals of these welfare systems
Some argue that Europe can no longer afford high taxes if it is to remain competitive in the global market
Others maintain that Europe’s economic success and high standards of living are the direct result of the social contract
The debate has been resolved differently in different parts of Europe

S OCIAL W ELFARE S YSTEMS
AND T HEIR O UTCOMES
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European welfare systems can be classified into four basic categories:
- Social democratic welfare systems
- Conservative and modest welfare systems
- Rudimentary welfare systems
- Post-communist welfare systems