Inquiries on Terminology

The National Human Development Report (NHDR) for 2007/2008 provided a lot of important information to further our studies of Guatemala. However, there were a few aspects that I was uncertain about. Like Grace, I found the part about the media to be intriguing as well. When I read that television was the primary new outlet, a few questions arose. How many Guatemalan households contain televisions? What percentage of these television owners are Ladinos and what percentage are Mayans? Are there any Mayan networks? If approximately 50% of the country is impoverished, how is it possible that television is the main source of information in Guatemala?

Another part of this report that stood out to me was the title of the sections, such as “Freedom to produce,” “Freedom to work,” “Freedom to have,” and “Freedom to consume worthy goods.” It is important to question how the NHDR defines freedom. Yes, more indigenous people have entered the work force in the past 25 years. Yet I found this contradiction rather interesting: the NHDR first states, “The number of indigenous working-age population choosing or having the opportunity to enter the labor market is also noteworthy: the participation rate of indigenous people grew, from around 49.6% in 1989 to almost 61.7 % in 2006.” However, within the conclusion of this section they point out “Only a small and privileged group, composed mainly of non- indigenous, urban, educated men, enjoys full freedom to work.” If at first they note that the indigenous Guatemalans have the choice and opportunity to work but then say that only a small group of non-indigenous people have the full freedom to work, then what exactly does the NHDR mean by freedom? Also, why is the section, “Freedom to have,” titled as so if it mentions the inequality in production distribution?

Similar to the U.S and other countries throughout the world, the importance of education is evident. In general, the more educated a person is, the better job they obtain, the more income they will make, and the healthier they will be. It seems like education is the root many problems within a country, but a poor family needs all members to work instead of taking the time to go to school. This makes it difficult to move to a higher socioeconomic status. However, I wonder if a Ladino still has more occupational opportunities than a more educated indigenous Guatemalan.

Lastly, I was wondering if anyone could explain to me “non-labor income.” I don’t know much about economics and I tried looking it up online but couldn’t find any additional information. According to the NHDR, it significantly reduces poverty, so it must be important. Although I don’t know exactly what non-income labor is, I can detect discrepancies in its distribution: “Non-indigenous, female-headed households from high socioeconomic strata receive the largest income.” If the point is to redistribute wealth, wouldn't they want the poorest families to receive more additional income?