Housing: What are the effects of housing on an individuals wellbeing?
“Housing is fundamental to physical, mental and social wellbeing and quality of life” (World Health Organisation 1998). Housing costs consume a substantial portion of the household expenditure and represent the biggest single outlay for many people, these costs include basic utilities such as electricity, heating, cooling, water and garbage. In Australia, households spend an average of 20% of their gross adjusted disposable income on managing a household, similar with the OECD average. In South Africa, households on average spend 18% of their gross adjusted disposable income on running a household, less then the OECD average of 20%. The amount of rooms in a home, divided by the number of persons living there, reveals whether residents are living in crowded conditions. Cramped housing may have a detrimental impact on an individual mental and physical health, relationships, and children's progress and growth as there is most often inadequate water and sewage supply. In terms of basic facilities however, only 63% of people in South Africa live in dwellings with their own access to an indoor flushing toilet, significantly lower than the OECD average of 97.9%. In comparison to Australia where there are 10 million homes with 89% of these being private households with 69% of these only having only one family living in them. Consequently South Africa’s health?? is lower as “Poor living conditions lead to increased stress, social isolation, an unhealthy and unsafe environment, and increased risk of disease or injury” (Podger 1998).
Income
Income inequality is harmful in any society, people with low incomes and wealth are left behind. Explain how inequalities in income and wealth are existent in both countries?
Money is an integral means to achieving ideal living conditions and therefore improved well-being. Greater economic wealth ultimately improves access to decent education, health care and housing. Household net adjusted disposable income is defined as the amount of money that a household acquires each year after tax deductions and transfers. In Australia, the average household net adjusted disposable income per capita is USD 33 417 a year, greater than the OECD average of USD 30 563. In South Africa, the average household net adjusted disposable income per capita is USD 10 872 a year, substantially lower than the OECD average. Household economic wealth is the calculation of a household's financial value, for example money or shares held in bank accounts. In Australia, the average household net economic wealth per capita is estimated at USD 57 462, lower than the OECD average of USD 90 570. But in South Africa, the average household net economic wealth per capita is estimated at USD 17 042, alarmingly below than the OECD average. The GDP per capita in South Africa is $11 500 while in Australia it is $43 000, revealing South Africa has a 73% lower income. QUOTE??
”South Africa is the most unequal country in the world” (World Bank, Jason Beaubien 2018)
Victor Sullar a senior economist for the World Bank in charge of South Africa. “There is no country that we have data about where the inequality is higher than South Africa…..the people at the bottom in South Africa get wages of less than 50 USD a month….if you take the top level even by European or US standards its a very high level. And we are talking about just about employees, people who are getting paid. And not the super-rich who are earning income from factories, property and other investments.” UNSW??? “The reality of income inequality in Australia come as a shock to many-the highest 20% of us live in a household with 5 times as much as the lowest 20%, ….people in the highest 1% live in households with an average weekly income that is 26 times the income of a person in the lowest 5%…This means the highest 1% earn as much in a fortnight as the lowest %% receives in a year.”
http://www.ifitweremyhome.com/compare/AU/ZA
Health: What are the differences in aspects of health and how does this affect the life expectancy of people who live in these countries?
Most OECD countries have benefited from enormous gains in life expectancy over the past decades, this is due to in upgraded living conditions, public health strategies being implemented and advancement in medical care. Life expectancy at birth in Australia is currently at almost 83 years, three years above the OECD average of 80 years. Longer life expectancy is commonly combined with greater health care spending per person, although numerous other contributing factors, such as living standards, lifestyles, education and environmental factors have an considerable effect on life expectancy. Life expectancy at birth in South Africa is currently at 57 years, falling 23 years lower twenty-three years below the OECD average of 80 years, an alarming lowest in the OECD. When asked, "How is your health in general?" around 85% of people in Australia said they were in good health, more than the OECD average of 69%. Considering that that the answer to this question is based on a person’s perception of their own health ,answers have also been found to be a good predictor of people's future health care use.
http://www.nationmaster.com/country-info/compare/Australia/South-Africa/Health
As Australia is developed country patients with life threatening illnesses are given their treatment within a specific allocated time, we was approximately 19 mins for an Ambulance in rural South Africa the wait for an Ambulance is 12 hours if it does arrival at all. Ben Daunt a head hospital Doctor said “When an Ambulance comes, it rarely has paramedics, because there is a huge shortage…Because of circumstances like this this peoples lives who should of been saved sometimes die.”
Currently South Africa’s infant mortality rate is 6 times greater than than in other OECD countries. Approximately 5.5 million South Africans have been diagnosed with HIV/AIDS, death rates from these disease is catastrophically high. In addition to a high incidence of infectious diseases there is a severe lack of medical drugs and equipment and an ongoing shortage of qualified medical and nursing staff.
Education
HOW DOES EDUCATION INFLUENCE A COUNTRY’S SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC WELL BEING?
An adequately educated and adequately-trained population are key ingredients for a country's social and economic welfare. Education plays a vital role in providing individuals with the knowledge, skills and competences needed to participate effectively in society and in the economy. Australians can expect to attend 21.2 years of education between the ages of 5 and 39, which is greater than the OECD average of 17 years and the highest level in the OECD. Graduating from senior secondary education has become an increasing trend in all countries, as the skills needed in the labour force are becoming more knowledge-based. In Australia, 80% of adults aged 25-64 have completed senior secondary education, greater than the OECD average of 74%. In South Africa, 43% of adults aged 25-64 have completed senior secondary education, lower than the OECD average of 74%. But graduation rates, while important, speak little to the quality of education received. In 2015, the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) focused on examining students' reading ability, and skills in maths and science, as research shows that these skills are more reliable predictors of economic and social well-being than the number of years spent in school. The average student in Australia scored 502 in reading literacy, maths and sciences, above the OECD average of 486. No data is available for South Africa, but evidence from other OECD countries suggests that the best-performing school systems manage to provide high-quality education to all students.
In 2015 OECDr rankings which ranks countries on the levels of maths and science at 15 years of age, South Africa was placed second last in 75th place, the PSIA rankings the ranking was also poor with the country unable to place in the top 40 for either reading or maths.
In June 2017 the United Nations agency ranked Australia 39 out of 41 high and middle income countries for quality education. It was highlighted Australia is falling below the basic standards of teaching and learning, the report findings revealed that 71.7% of Australian 15 year olds are achieving baseline standards in several ares of education.
http://www.nationmaster.com/country-info/compare/Australia/South-Africa/Education