Mary+C

=Statistics= USA || $47200 || 36.9 years || 78.37 years || 99% || 2.06 || Japan || $34000 || 44.8 years || 82.25 years || 99% || 1.12 || Brazil || $10800 || 29.3 years || 72.53 years || 88.6% || 2.18 || India || $3500 || 26.2 years || 66.8 years || 61% || 2.26 || Kenya || $1600 || 18.9 years || 59.48 years || 85.1% || 4.19 ||
 * = Country || Income Per Capital || Median Age || Life Expectancy || Literacy Rate || Total Fertility Rate ||
 * = Baseline
 * = High Income:
 * = Middle Upper:
 * = Middle Lower:
 * = Lower Income:

I believe that I am fortunate to live in the USA. We are a country were it is very easy to get our basic needs filled. We have clean running water, electricity and plenty of food, education and many other things. I also think that the US has still maintained a little bit of the "land of opportunity" we have the ability to make an opportunity for ourselves towards a better future, something that not everyone in the world has. =High Income Living Conditions: Japan= Secondary Source: [|http://books.google.com/books?id=g5yYxixw_Y4C&printsec=frontcover&dq=teens+in+japan&hl=en&ei=f7ixTv2GHaXi0QGikZHVAQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDIQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false]

Teens in Japan live a life that is a mixture of modern times and some old traditions. Teens may have cutting edge technologies wear fashionable clothing that makes them stand in a crowd, yet they will still respectfully take off their shoes before entering a home, school, or restaurant, they will spend a lot of time with older family members. Many teens in Japan consider themselves not religious although many Japanese costumes follow Buddhism and Shintoism. About 75% of people live in cities (in apartments) while the rural teens will live in single family homes. Most homes are furnished in somewhat traditional style. Futons (a special mattress and comforter are used as beds and are folded back up into a closet each morning) and low tables with cushions are some of the few furnishing many Japanese homes will have. A lot of stress is put on Teens in Japan to exceed in school were students are expected to have 3 or 4 hours of homework every night and compete( with good grades and test) to get into the elite schools. Many parents will spend thousand in order to prepare there students for the tests and schools. Most people in Japan feel that what you are doing at 18 will determine how you live the rest of your life.

Japan is considered a high income living country and the data supports this. The teens in Japan are pushed to achieve academic success and are very capable of competing on an international level. This probably very much contributes to the high literacy rate as well as the GDP of $34000. There is a big contrast between Japan and countries like Kenya were many are living without modern technology let alone running water. It was interesting how the median age (44.8) and the life expectancy (82.25) were so much higher then that of the US.The high median age could be explained by the low fertility rate of 1.12, which seems very low compared to the other countries.

=Middle-Upper Income Living Conditions: Brazil= Secondary Source: [|http://books.google.com/books?id=t79gxvQuGpEC&printsec=frontcover&dq=teens+in+brazil&hl=en&ei=usWxTqjHMqb50gH4tY3-CQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDIQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false]

Most teens in Brazil live in urban areas. 22% live below the poverty line while 10 % live in high income leaving most in the middle class. The lifestyles of the teens living in Brazil Varies greatly. By law, children must attend school from 7-14 and cannot work until 16. That being said, many break this law. One study found that nearly 20% of kids don't reach the fourth grade. Also many low-income teens either work a side job or quite school to take on a full time job, some even sell inexpensive items on street corners. For these low income teens and kids, the government has implemented a shift style school schedule and rarely give homework so that the teens can go to school around there jobs. These low income teens generally live in areas Favelas which are basically slums. Here crime rates are high and standard of living is low. Many teens in these areas live by stealing and committing other petty crimes. The upper and middle class teens of Brazil attend private schools and live in well maintained apartments or houses. No matter what income family they come from, most teens enjoy hanging out with friends and playing futebal (soccer).

Brazil is considered a middle upper income country with GDP of $10800. Brazil also follows the general trend of a rising life expectancy (72.53), literacy rate (88.6%) and fertility rate (2.18) over countries of lower income such as India and Kenya.

==

=Middle-Lower Income Living Conditions:India= Secondary Source: [|http://books.google.com/books?id=CPQmbyiS-iEC&printsec=frontcover&dq=teens+in+India&hl=en&ei=atGxTt6lIYnw0gGp-_zIAQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDIQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false]

In India, 25% of the population lives below the poverty line, because of this many teens must work instead of attend school even thought the law requires all students to be enrolled in school. For those who do attend school, it is basically all year round with separate and even separate schools for boys and girls. Many teens in India still wear traditional fashions such as the sari for girls. Teens are given household task and chores. Girls generally are taught domestic chores while boys do physical work generally outside. IN the more rural areas, teens are expected to help alongside there elders during harvest season. Many teens also play a large role as caregiver to younger family members

Life in India seems very different then that of the US. The literacy rate(61%) was very low, even lower then the lower in come country, Kenya (85.1%). The fertility rate seemed low (2.26), a big drop from Kenya's (4.19), this could be due to how crowded India is.

=Lower Income Living Conditions: Kenya=

[|http://books.google.com/books?id=tzO-AWNmpI0C&printsec=frontcover&dq=teens+in+kenya&hl=en&ei=nnSUTsT-EMLu0gGQnuzBBw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDMQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false]
 * Secondary Source:**

Life in Kenya drastically varies depending on what class the person is from. A small portion of the population lives a comfortable lifestyle much like that of the United States. The larger portion of the population lives either in small, traditional villages or in city slums. In these slums, the standard of living is very poor. Free education came about in 2003, but many student walk miles to schools that are overcrowded and the majority end there schooling at 12 or 13- only 30% continue onto high school. In the higher income families, teens mostly focus on there education and there parents probably pay to send them to private or boarding school. But in the lower income and rural families, the teen is expected to help the family with agricultural work, gathering water, cooking etc. Daughters will help their mothers cook over a wood fire, tend to children walk mines to gather water and other tasks caring for the home. Boys will help with the fields or herds with the other men. For these teens, this work can take up most of the day leaving little to no time for school.

Kenya was the lowest income country out of the ones I choose. Out of all of the countires it had the lowest life expectancy (59.48), median age (18.9), lowset GDP ($1600) and the highest fertility rate (4.19). For a country in the Lower income area, Kenya seemed to have a high literacy rate, which I contribute to the development of free education. Teen life in Kenya seems totally different then teen life in the high income nations like the US. in these countires almost everyone goes to school and at the turn of a faucet clean water comes into your glass.

=Conclusion:=