Using Figure 4 and your own knowledge, explain why some groups of people within a country have a lower level of development than others. (10)
Figure 4 shows that rural areas, especially in the North West are less prosperous and less developed. This is shown by the high score of 55% in poverty in rural areas compared to the urban rate of 40% and national rate of 50%. In the capital city, Dhaka, the poverty rate is almost half the rural poverty rate at 28%, and the regions close to Dhaka also have lower poverty rates, suggesting these regions have better opportunities. The cause of this indifference may be because the rural areas have fewer resources and therefore miss out on investment and trade. Rajshahi is landlocked with no way of importing and exporting materials on mass or cheaply, again leading them to be isolated away from trade prospects. Employment in rural areas is mainly agricultural which does not earn much income and more educated, younger generations migrate out of rural towns to pursue a wider range of better paid, formal jobs in the city, leaving a ‘brain drained’ rural population. Myrdal’s cumulative causation model supports these ideas as successful growing areas attract more economic activity causing even greater disparity and the core has a cumulative and growing advantage over the periphery.
Physical factors will affect the development of some areas. North West Bangladesh is much drier than in the south and suffers from droughts and water shortages; meaning it is not a good area for industry to locate to and for investment. Therefore agriculture will still prevail as the greatest form of income; but farmers will struggle with irrigating their crops and keeping livestock alive in the harsh conditions, in 2000 50% of crops were lost due to drought. This leads to reduced water and food for rural people, thus reducing their ability to develop. The two coastal regions, of Khulna and Chittagong, have 45-50% of their population living in poverty despite being in a prime area for industry and trade opportunities. The Bangladesh coast is affected by cyclones and seasonal flooding causing a huge loss in what little infrastructure, educational facilities and property there is; pushing large businesses away from locating factories and industries there, contributing to the poverty rates.
56% of female headed households are in poverty in Bangladesh. The reasons for this could be because mothers have to work at the same time for caring for children, decreasing their potential to earn enough income and many elderly widows are not able to work and earn money. Also, even now, women are discriminated against and cannot do some work types, making it hard for them to find a job in which they are paid enough for.
Cultural factors may also influence why groups of people have different levels of development. There is a small difference in poverty rates between Muslim and non-Muslim religious groups. The majority of the population follows Islam yet it has a 4% higher poverty rating than the non-Muslim population. The caste system in India is an example which shows how levels of development vary in religion. The caste you belong to determine the jobs you can do, therefore limiting certain groups of people from developing. Apartheid in South Africa also demonstrates how different racial groups can cause disparity in development. The separation and discrimination of black inhabitants led them to live in poverty while the white migrants thrived from trading resources and industrial development.