You need a 400 word reply to the following forum post made by one of my classmates in my human resources class. The post needs to be positive and have at least one reference.
Of the 120 million people that live in Mexico, more than half lived in poverty at the end of 2012. This article describes the colossal disparity between Mexico's 16 billionaires and the bottom 20% of Mexicans (nearly 25 million people).
Economic hardship is no secret in Mexico, "according to a study of the 34 member countries of the Organization of Economic
Cooperation and Development, the gap between wages and hours is larger in Mexico than in any other member country." Mexico's bottom 20% doesn't make enough to eat three meals a day.
The Mexican government stipulated in the Constitution a minimum monthly income for well-being of an individual, but a worker making the minimum salary of $4.35 per day falls short of this monthly standard. In certain areas of Mexico, 70% of workers don't earn enough to care for two people based on the minimum monthly salary level. "A worker making the minimum salary would need to labor for just over 37 days per month to bring in that monthly minimum-assuming they didn't have any dependents to care for."
Many Mexicans fall below Mexican, and even Western standards of living. "According to a report from news site Animal Politico, one of four Mexican municipalities has living conditions similar to sub-Saharan Africa in terms of illiteracy, access to healthcare, and homes without toilets or solid floors."
The longstanding inequality in Mexico continues because there is an "extremely high tolerance" for an unequal society, according to Cristina Bayon, an ecologist specializing in the subject.
After reading this article, although it had nothing to do with immigration, it was easy for me to see why there was such an increase in illegal immigration to the United States. In my opinion, most are in search of a better life and the ability to not only sustain themselves here but send money back to support families. In order to change their culture, they need to invest in their future. Establishing legal residency and education are the first steps to seeing that change.
Woody, C. (2015, August 02). Mexico's wage crisis is so bad 'that it violates what's stipulated in the Constitution' Retrieved February 23, 2017, from
http://www.businessinsider.com/mexicans-get-paid-less-for-their-work-than-any-other-developed-country-2015-7