>> welcome to globa3000! this week, we focus on one of our world's biggest problems: inequality. societies where the gap is huge between rich and poor, and where many people are being left behind, and that was before the pandemic. we go to indonesia which - due to the coronavirus lockdown - is currently in the midst of a baby boom. it is making life tough for many new mothers. and in the face of this rising inequality we ask, what can be do about it? and discover that we can learn a lot from uruguay.

in many societies today, there's a sharp divide between rich and poor, between those who have and those who do not. and,espite ling in the same country, these different groups often feel little connection to each other. us president-elect joe biden put it like this: u.s. president-elecjoe biden:is gap is yawning, it is gaping. it is having the effect of pulling us apart. >> the numbers say it for themselves. the world's richest 10% own 83% of global wealth. and the wealthiest 1% owns an amazing 44% of global assets. nor is there much hope on the horizon. in mancountries, the global pandemic has widened the gap between rich and poor. around halof the world's 3.3

billion workers have either lost their jobs, or are at risk of doing so. >> for enlightened thinkers, it goes without saying that all people are morally equal. but that appears naive or even cynical, in light of the vast and enduring inequalities between rich and poor in countries around the world. when the coronavirus pandemic erupted, it was often claimed that it hits all social classes equally hard. some politicians and celebrities even went so far as to claim it would help promote equality in society. a bathtub clip from madonna is just one example. >> that is the thing about covid-19. it doesn't care about how rich you are, how famous you are. it is the great equalizer. >> t is thatrue?

>> no, cerinly not i can't think of aingle countrwhere the is anysupport f. i can nothink ofne. >> thawould an the rhest se and t poaffected.east wh we see the exact i can noopsite.fne. >> publihealth rearcher richare soci and heah effectof inme inequity. >> what has been happening during, and because of the paemic, corresponds to a central esis of a book he co-authored, the spirit level, published in 2009. >> life is much shorter in lower social classes. in britain, if you take the richest and poort 10%, you find perhaps a 10-year difference in fe expectancy.

and i sometimes say, that is the biggest social injustice in modern societies. it is a human rights abuse. ♪ >> in countries with high levels of cial inequality, the rates of covid-19 infections and deaths are also high. the gini index is a measure of income inequality. south africa and brazil are both very high up in the rankings, meaning they have the some of thhighest rates of inequality according to this measure. the unitedtates has one of the highest rates among developed nations. the virus has hit all three especially hard. ellen ehmke works in berlin for oxfam, an ngo that focuses on alleviating poverty worldwide. >> the pandemic has hit in a world that was already characterised by massive inequalities, driven by the climate crisis and poor working conditions. our analysis shows that the pandemic is merely making

pre-existing inequalities even more extreme, and hits the poorest the hardest. >> what makes countries marked by extreme inequality so vulnerable? more vulnerable than even some of the least developed countries it seems? one contributory factor is the interaction between rich and poor. the first person to die of covid-19 in rio de janeiroas a 63-year-old domestic worker. a very wealthy woman who had she caught it from her employer, a very wealthy woman who had been infected with the virus in europe and passed it on. there are many such stories. domestic workers that contract e virus and introduce it to eir families, and neighborods, where it can cause devastation. >> living at very close quarters drives infection among people who have no way to protect themselves. there is still interaction between rich and poor

households, which also spreads the virus. the difference is that the rich seek medical treatment, while the poor often don't or can't. >> statistics show that the poor have been disproportionately hit by the pandemic, both with regard to their health and their opportunity to earn a living. according to the gini index, south africa is the world's most unequal country. millions of day labourers found no work at all for weeks on end, during the lockdown. many others also lost their jobs. hungry and angry, peop took to the streets to protest. >>f clawing our way back to where we we. and we were already in quite a bad situation with regard to the labour market. and so it's just very, very scary for the less-skilled

south africans. ♪ >> the world bank estimates that covid-19 could push as many as 150 million people around the globe into extreme poverty. and there is no evidence that the disease is an equalizer, not even in developed nations. in the wealthy united states, more and more people are so desperate, they are lining up for food donations. >> covid-19 has been likened to an x-ray, revealing fractures in the fragile skeleton of the societies we have built. while we are all floating on the same sea, it's clear that some are in super yachts, while others are clinging to drifting debris. >> what can be done to reduce inequality? some scholars say governments around theorld need : re for a, raise x rates for th plemenaffordab health companies, which are doing great business in the pandemic,

and affirm the importance of the welfare state. >> i see one good thing possibly resulting from the crisis: that the state and its actions will be less discredited. >> what is the welfare state supposed to do right now? we don't want big, grand projects that have got nothing to do with empowering people. what the pandemic has made very clear is that, if people have basic rights in place to quality health care and quality education, and the ability to actually do their best as individuals, that's also the citizey to cope with a key tomppandemic.our >> even if governments and societies commit to reducing inequality, it could take decades to achieve significant progress. some inequality scholars say even now individuals can make a difference, less self-seeking,

more solidarity and empathy with others. the pandemic may have brought out the best in many people. >> i think as well as reducing the income differences, in the short te, we have do thingsbout people's trust and understaing. a more equal socty thais more cohesive, more public-spirited, where people are more concerned with each other, is better in so many different ways. >> the current pandemic will not be the last crisis the world faces. but what seems clear is that more equitable societies are also more resilient in many ways , and thus better prepared to face the future. ♪ >and this resilience is far more than just a theory. finland, for example, boasts one of the narrowest gaps between rich and poor in the world. and, so far, it has managed to navigate the pandemic fairly unscathed. in fact, no other eu country

has such low infection rates finland's government, headed by prime minister sanna marin, places great emphasis on welfare policies. ♪ in south erica, t, one country s proved exelary during the coronavirus crisis: uruguay. we headed there to find out more. >> this year has been a stressful time for the delbracio-majo family inmon. guilleo was born two weeks after the start of lockdown. in itself, a joyful ocsion. t they couldn't share with anyo, or g any help, because a christina delbracio and r husband rtin, alonwith the children, had to go into quarantine. there was a suspected casef covid-19 in their circle of friends. >> it was terrible for us, because the grandmothers

couldn't come, nor could the grandfathers or my broers. no one could come and meet the baby. it was really tough. only gradually were they allowed to visit us at home. >> theollowing mths were full of uncertainty, as uruguay went into lockdown. ana christina delbcio works a psychologist, and noticed the strain on her patients. >> there was a constant climate of fear, like there was a threathat you had to protect t was eating away at you inside. all my patients were worried. mostf them were younger people, where you mit have thought they would just go with all my patthe flow.e worried. but no, they struggled just the same. now, seven months laterthe wod looks ve different

the borders between uruguay and its neighbours are still closed. but the small country is so far ing well, th less than 100 deat and only a few thousand cases overall. althou infections have now risen sharply again, schools and universities closed for a few weeks in the spring. it was the same for shops. but now the streets are busy again. many peoe r masks in public. the is still need for cautn, but there also anpeoe r obvious see of relf that the mood is also upbt at theey pasteur research institute. when the pandemic started in march,hey were able to respond immediately with nationwide testing. the testing kits came from these laboratories. they say the approactaken by the government helped. >> i think one of the big advantages in uruguay compared to other countries was that both the president and his corovirus te supported our scientists right from the start

so that the scientists were then able to make decisions in good time. i also think that uruguay is one of the few countries worldwide with an integrated healthystem rights wn it com to medil , where trtment. the sam >> f decadesurugy has investedn its weare state, and that appearso be payin off now in the crisis. the country is home to around 3.5 million people. poverty is definitely an issue in some areas, and impossible to overlook in the capital. still, the mayor of montevideo proud of the city and says here, too, everybody has access to healthce. >> uruguay has transformed its public health service over the past 15 years. now in this emergency, it's >exactly this system th is ats publiplaying a hugeole.ver the montevideo has the best healthe

whole of latin america. uruguas form president joseujica, is one of those credited with reducing the gap between rich and poor, during hifive yea in office he is mply known apepe here. he was president until 2015 and investedeavily in alth,, during education, and social welfare. hnow 85 years old, he agreed to give us an interview in his garage. former pres. mujica: a certain level of psperity allowed us tdevelop a cial democracy. that has shaped the entire country, not only structurally and materially but also in terms of our way of life. we a now a cntry kno for ittoleranc where pple are very cilized ithr deingsin with eh other, alswhenf life.

opion or enomic cres persally, i ink it ione ofhe best aces to in thewhole. back tthe delbrao-majo mily. they he been enjing meetin regurly withelativesnd cret of urugy's relatio whadot succs in this cris so fa apart om good potical desions, thethink the country just got lucky to a certain extent. >> phere tt meanthe cases mutae aren'ts bad as ieurope. or perhaps it's the climate, the air and the sea? i have no idea. there must be some other reason. >> a few months ago, ty never thought their lives would impre agaiso quickly. but no of them wl forget the anxious period around guillerms birth any time

soon. [household sounds] ♪ >> unfortunately, most countries are not like uruguay when it comes to fighting the pandemic. the current crisis has made life much harder for many people, particularly women. lockdowns have led to a sharp rise in domestic violence. and aside from this, women are the ones typically taking on all the extra childcare and home-schooling responsibilities. ♪ statistically speaking, women also have a far greater chance of losing their jobs or falling into extreme poverty. in indonesia, many women have other things to worry about, too. [babies crying] >> even new-born babies wear a facehield in the maternity ward of this hospital in karta.

the covid pandemic is affecting everybody in indonesia. devi rahayu has just given birth to her third child. r joy isempered byoncern:she ir devi rahhusbana driveriven he used to wek.ull-te butd.noa >> am ve worried my by needs lk everyay and lowenow. as well bu have somehowcrape by >>devi rahu had chen to have anoer child before the pandemic hit. but hundreds of thousands of other women in indonesia got pregnant during the pandemic without planningo. thiss bandung,50 kilometers east othe capita juhaih is pregnt. but e did nochoose thave another ild. during the lockdown she ran out of contraceptive pills. the local chemist was closed. and condoms are not widely used

in indonesia. then, her husband lost his job and now, money is in short supply. >> during the lockdown, the public health clinics didn't want to see women who only needed contraceptives. i could have gone to see a midwife privately, but that would have been much too expensive. and evenow that i pregnant, i can't afford to see a midwife to get a check-up. >> harsih's daughter siti and son dava both still go to third child. juharsih has applied to join the public health insurance scheme. t she do not yet know if she's been accepted. it doesn't ct anythingf you e poor. >> i hope we will get health care for free.

we don't really have any alternative. makes me zzy to thi about thfuture. i'm soy, i hope works o. [crying] >> employees of the "national population and family planning board" go around making nouncements via loudspeaker. yocan have s, you can t married, but don't get pregna! men, restrain yourselves or use contraception! the authorities are worried abouthe surge the numbe of birs. >> there are various methods of contraception. injecti, a pill, ndoms. >> sepiyanti ia midwife wh works for the family planning board. she tellwomen about their options. she's one of 24,000 counsellors across the country.

innesito contreption.ethe cors but cause of a lack ofccess worse. septriyanti and her colleagues have onlrecently g back to gotten back to work. >> that's what happens during a lockdown: men and women spd more time gether. the men were at homeoff work, and the women didn't dare go out. many did not use contraception. and that has meant lots of unwanted pregnancies. >half a million more babies than anlockdown wiusual.n as many as the authorities want to curb the boom. so, seriyanti anher coeagues go or to door advising women and providing contraceptives often double the usual amounts. revi mahela gave birth to her first child a couple of monthse contraceptive pills. the midwiwiout fail her take y

few hous further, ey sit yu. she has one child and until now has gotten contraceptive iso now sheas decidedo go for a hormone plant instead. it works for three years. the state will cover the cost. accintally, e childr >oftesuffer fm develoental defits, because thpregnantmothn don't ha enoh to eat >> jursihe hoe. the nuer of new vid-19 inctions remns scarilyigh. and she wants to keep her unborn baby as safe as possible. >> i get more and more worried every day. what does the future hold for us? how can we even survive under these conditions?

the goverent was aing to halve the nuer of chilen with devopment deficits due to povertyithin fourears. the pandemic baby boom will make it harder to fulfil that ambitious goal. ♪ >> and now we head to kenya, to meet this week's global teen. ♪ >> my name is faith kathure. i am 17 years old. i live in matunda village, ru, in kenya.

♪ my dad is a tailor and my mum is a farmer. i love going to scho, simply because i love education. and i believe education can take me where i want. can make life be better d make me successful. and ♪ when i am free, ioven liening to mic. i want. i ve dancing and i love writing poems, that is, writing

my feelings. the big obal proems? i think of poverty. poverty is all over in most places and it really affects. when there is poverty in t home, childrenost likely are not able to go to school. and th cannotso sadell.tthey cns sand anotr thing,e have t globalarming, when icomes, the is droug. and when there is drought, there is no food, when there is no food, people are most likely to starve and even leading to death. my hope for the future: i would like to be done with my highs chool studies and then i jo one of thuniversiti in kenya,r even abrd, and rsue my caer and be

highs chool studies and then i jo successful in life. in i would like to be a medical practitioner and then do fashion design as a hobby or pastime caer. me, simply because i am gratef for what i have and who i am and i am happy because of myself. i am happy because of even my pares. i just accept myself the way i am. so, that is why i am happy. i am happy always. ♪ >> and that's all from us at global 3000 this time! you know how much we love hearing from you.

so do drop us a line to global3000@dw.com. we are back next week, see you then! take care! [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy.