In the midst of a trying week, here are some numbers we’re reading and watching for Wednesday.
The vulnerabilities in Belgium’s security system – along with those of other European countries – were exposed in the aftermath of Tuesday morning’s terrorist attacks in Brussels. European countries have their own intelligence operations, making coordination among nations difficult, writes Marketplace reporter Nova Safo. That leaves Belgium, a small country of 11 million people, alone in defending against attacks.
One European country making strenuous efforts to ward off terrorism is France, which is currently spending nearly 1 million euros a day in security measures. The country has been the target of mass acts of violence since last January, including the Charlie Hebdo attacks and a series of bombings and shootings in November. As a whole, the security industry could grow as much as 5 percent this year.
Financial security is a goal for Melissa Gates, who wants to help lift the burden of unpaid work off of women around the world. Gates stopped by to talk to Marketplace Morning Report host David Brancaccio about the disproportionate hours women work in comparison to men – work hours that encapsulate more than just salaried time. Those hours can include time picking up the kids from school, doing the laundry, shopping for groceries, or hauling drinking water to help support your family or community. Gates says that in the last 30 years, the gap of “unpaid work that’s done in the home that men do compared to women” is starting to shrink. But there’s still work to be done, which can take the form of better social policies, Gates says. For the full interview, click here.
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