Questão 20 - UFT Manhã 2024/2

Leia os textos a seguir para responder a questão.

 

Texto I

 

POPE FRANCIS WARNS PETS MUST NOT REPLACE CHILDREN IN ITALY

 

Starting a family in Italy is becoming a "titanic effort" that only the rich can afford, Pope Francis has warned.

Addressing a conference on Italy's demographic crisis, he said pets were replacing children in many households.

Also on stage were dozens of young people, wearing T-shirts saying "we can do this" - alluding to convincing people to have more children.

Italy has one of the lowest fertility rates in the EU and births dropped below 400,000 last year - a new low.

In his speech in Rome, the Pope said the declining birth rate signalled a lack of hope in the future, with younger generations weighed down by a sense of uncertainty, fragility and precariousness.

"Difficulty in finding a stable job, sky-high rents and insufficient wages are real problems," he said.

Warning that pets were replacing children in some households, the Pope recounted how a woman had opened her bag and asked him to "bless her baby". Except it was not a baby, but a small dog.

"I lost my patience and told her off: there are many children who are hungry, and you bring me a dog?" he added, triggering a round of applause from the crowd.

Birth rates are slowing in many places - such as Japan, South Korea, Puerto Rico and Portugal. But a shrinking population is a major worry for Italy - the third-largest country in the eurozone.

The country could lose almost a fifth of its residents by 2050. At the same time, the population is ageing quickly - the number of centenarians in Italy has tripled over the last 20 years.

Italy is often dubbed "The country of empty cribs". Even Elon Musk tweeted last month: "Italy is disappearing!"

Experts warn the population crisis will lead to the impoverishment of the nation. Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti said that by 2042, Italy's declining birthrate would end up reducing its gross domestic product (GDP) by 18%.

There are many reasons why women in Italy are having fewer babies.

Young people struggle to find stable jobs and the childcare support system is often inadequate, which makes it hard for mothers to juggle work and family life.

Six out of 10 mothers don't have access to nurseries, according to the charity Save the Children.

Many pregnant women are forced to resign, and some get sacked when they get pregnant.

Italy's plummeting birth rate "is a national emergency" said Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who was speaking alongside Pope Francis.

The image of the two leaders - both dressed in white head to toe - speaking together was very symbolic in Italy, as to show that the issue is so urgent, that it goes beyond politics or religion.

"Fixing the problem is an absolute priority. We want Italy to go back to having a bright future," she said.

Mrs Meloni, who won the largest share of the women's vote in September elections but does not consider herself a feminist, has made mothers and families a central part of her discourse. She has created an ad hoc ministry to address the issue of declining birth rates and her government has hinted at encouraging people to have children by exempting them from paying income tax.

Pope Francis called for politicians to find "forward-looking solutions to avoid Italy degenerating into sadness".

At the end of his speech, several pregnant women queued on stage to have him touch their belly and give them a blessing.

Shortly after, a flock of children encircled the Pontiff in a group hug - something likely to have been orchestrated by the organisers of the event.

Fonte: Disponível em .

 

Texto II

 

NUMBER OF PET OWNING HOUSEHOLDS IN EUROPE 2010-2022

 

As of 2022, an estimated 91 million European households owned at least one pet. During the last decade, the number of pet-owning households has increased by approximately 20 million.

 

Pets in the European Union

 

The most popular pets in the Europeans Union (EU) are cats. There are approximately 11,000 more cats than dogs in the EU. Besides cats and dogs, other popular pets are ornamental birds, such as canaries, parakeets, parrots, and small mammals, like mice, hamsters, guinea pigs, or rabbits. The number of cats in Europe has steadily increased during the last decade. In 2010, there were about 85,000 cats in Europe. By 2021, this figure had reached over 127,000. A similar trend has been observed in the number of dogs in Europe.

 

Cats in the European Union

 

While cats are popular companions for households in many EU countries, Germany and France have the highest numbers of cats among EU countries by a considerable margin. However, these countries are also the most populous in the EU. Taking a look at the share of households who own at least one cat in the EU shows that the share of cat lovers in Romania is the highest. Almost half of Romanian households own a cat. The share of cat-owning households seems to be comparatively high in many eastern European countries.

Fonte: Disponível em .

Após a leitura dos textos, analise as afirmativas a seguir.

 

    I. Em seu discurso, o Papa considera que a baixa taxa de natalidade se deve à falta de esperança no futuro por parte dos jovens.

 

    II. Em seu discurso, o Ministro da Economia defende que a baixa taxa de natalidade é favorável para o país, pois ajuda na manutenção do Produto Interno Bruto (PIB).

 

    III. A pesquisa desenvolvida pela empresa de Elon Musk identificou que os motivos para a baixa taxa de natalidade na Itália se dá em razão da dificuldade que as mulheres têm em conciliar a vida familiar e a vida profissional.

 

    IV. Em seu discurso, a Primeira Ministra se coloca como uma feminista e defensora do direito das mulheres poderem optar em ter ou não ter filhos, provocando uma salva de palmas entre as mulheres manifestantes presentes no local.

 

Assinale a alternativa CORRETA.