Rationale

My Rationale for Choosing Sweden:
.....While looking for inspiration as to what country to pick for my virtual travel, I discovered an appendix in my English textbook, Women Across Cultures: A Global Persepective, which outlines the status of women worldwide through statistical data. Aspiring to choose a country where women have power in the public sphere, I began looking at the various categories of statistics and chose to focus on government positions. As I browsed through the various countries’ statistics of women in government positions, I was shocked at so many of the low percentiles; some countries even had no women in government. Continuing my search, I found Sweden. Surprised, its percentiles for women in government positions were even higher than here in the United States and all other countries. With this in mind, I felt confident that Sweden would be an excellent choice for a country to study.

What I Know About Sweden:
.....At the moment, I really do not know anything about Sweden. The only things that I do know are the statistics that found in the back of the English text; the location of Sweden is on the Scandinavian peninsula of Europe; the average age of marriage among women is 30; the average rate of divorce is 44 percent; there is a 99 percent literacy rate among women; 46 to 55 percent of all college students are women; the life expectancy for women is 80; there are 7 maternal deaths per 100,000 births; there is one death per every 6,803 abortions; 78 percent of women use contraceptive devices; the abortion law allows women to have an abortion on request in Sweden; the average number of children is 2.1 per woman; women make up 48 percent of the workforce; women make up 56 percent of the professional and technical positions; women make up 39 percent of the administration and management positions; and women make up 41 percent of the legislature and 52 percent of the cabinet (Burn 292).

Interpretations of the Statistical Data:
.....Through interpretation, many things can be inferred by these statistics. With the 99 percent literacy rate, it can be concluded that most women in Sweden receive an education. With women being 46 to 55 percent of all college students, 48% of the workforce, 56% of the professional and technical positions, and 52 percent of the cabinet, it can be assumed that women are as likely as men to attend college, get a job, obtain a professional or technical position, and become a member of the cabinet. With women composing of 39% of the administration and management positions and 41 percent of the legislature, it can be presumed that women are not as likely as men to receive these positions. With the life expectancy for women being 80, seven maternal deaths per 100,000 births, and one death per every 6,803 abortions, it can be inferred that the health care in Sweden is very good. With 78% of all women in Sweden using contraceptives and abortions being granted on request, it can be deduced that Sweden is a very pro- choice nation.

Conclusion
.....Through researching about women’s rights groups, history, culture, literature, and technology, I hope to learn a whole lot more about Sweden. Through this research project, I will learn a little more about one country and in turn, a little more about the world, including international issues for all women.