Brenda Wallace
1 min readJan 2, 2022

You get right into the heart of some sticky social issues and values here; I love it!

I really like your idea to increase financial literacy through schools. I know several people who create programs to do just this and it seems an uphill battle to get it mainstream.

And mainstreaming some normative values is really what I think you are talking about here... it is also what I think the UN SDGs are about also when they talk about gender equality, quality education, decent work and economic growth, and responsible consumption and production (to name a few). I believe there are some cultural norms today (among almost all global cultures) that do not align with the sustainable and equitable future we need. Without knowing Jane's cultural background, I do wonder if she see's her choices through the lens of 'my value is in my ability to attract a husband who will look after me'? Even if this isn't her personal interest, if she was raised in a culture that communicated that to her in a ubiquitous way, I believe it will influence her decision-making frame.

So education to help broaden horizons for people is perhaps key.

I also find it interesting to watch the outcomes of studies into recent university basic income pilot programs (see https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/public-and-social-sector/our-insights/an-experiment-to-inform-universal-basic-income).

I believe this could have an additional value-norming impact in our societies; one that values the unique contribution of each person delinked from the wage/status economy and reoriented to social contribution/value.

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Brenda Wallace
Brenda Wallace

Written by Brenda Wallace

I am a Planner and Public Participation Professional on a learning journey at the University of Cambridge (MSt Sustainability Leadership).

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