2017 KS Bull Issue 2b

KS Bull 2017 Issue 2b The views expressed in each essay are purely for the academic purposes of crafting a viable argumentative response. They do not necessarily reflect the personal opinions of any student or staff member, nor do they necessarily represent the perspective(s) of Raffles Institution. No portion of this collection may be reproduced or shared for any reason and by any means whatsoever.

KS Bull 2017 | Issue 2a (Year 5)© Raffles Institution Unauthorised copying, sharing & distribution prohibited 2 CONTENTS 2017 Year 5 GP CT1 1 “We can never close the gender divide.” Do you agree? Yeo Shi Wen | 18A13A 3 2 “We can never close the gender divide.” Do you agree? Siobhan Tan | 18A13A 9 3 “Social media disconnects more than it connects.” Discuss. Nadya Bhandari | 18S03Q 13 4 Are newspapers still relevant in the digital age? James Ding | 18S06S 18 5 To what extent is education an effective way to combat poverty? 24 Gan Chong Jin | 18A13A 2017 Year 5 Class Assignments 6 Examine the impact that foreigners have on your society. Sophie Low Hui Ting | 18S07A 31 7 ‘The media is to blame for gender inequalities.” Comment. 36 Ella Tan Ray Ing | 18A01B Editorial Team 40

KS Bull 2017 | Issue 2a (Year 5)© Raffles Institution Unauthorised copying, sharing & distribution prohibited 3 1 2017 | Y5 | GP CT2 Yeo Shi Wen | 18A13A “We can never close the gender divide.” Do you agree? A famous adage Chinese goes “Women hold up half the sky”. 2016 saw a shift toward such progressive mindsets with regard to gender roles. With popular figures such as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Hollywood actress Emma Watson publicly supporting feminism and championing gender equality, it really does give us hope of closing the gender divide. However, it is the very same year that also saw misogynist Donald Trump, who wanted to grab women “by the pussy”, elected to power as the President of the United States. Some espouse the view that we can never close the gender divide due to legislative barriers and sexist mindsets that persist and are pervasive in society today. However, it is my view that while closing the gender divide will be difficult, it is not impossible, due to changing attitudes in legislature and shifts in societal mindsets towards women. Therefore, though it will be difficult, closing the gender divide is indeed possible. Some espouse the view that we can never close the gender divide because there exist legislative barriers that institutionalise gender discrimination and perpetuate gender inequality. For instance, in Saudi Arabia, women are not allowed to make major decisions for themselves, or even drive themselves to the nearest hospital in the case of an emergency. As Pakistani Malala Yousafzai related in her address to the United Nations General Assembly, the Taliban, which rules over large swathes of the Middle