6月1日の「国際こどもの日」を目前にした5月最後の週末、中国南部にある広東省清遠市では、300人以上の親たちが子供を連れて豪華な邸宅や別荘を訪れていた。彼らがここを訪れる目的は「裕福な生活」について子供に教えることだ。
彼らが訪れた豪邸の1軒あたりの価格は、約400万元（約8020万円）だ。香港を拠点とするNGO「中国労工通訊」によると、2013年の中国の平均月収は5793元（約11万6000円）なので、平均月収と比較すると豪邸がどれだけ高額なのかがわかる。
この豪邸ツアーに参加した親たちの声を、デイリー・メール紙が伝えている。その1人で息子を連れて豪邸ツアーに参加した会社員のマー・レンウェンさんは、参加の理由を次のように話す。
「お金がすべてではないかもしれませんが、しかし現実にはお金は大切なものです。私は、実際に豪邸を訪れることで、子供たちの中にお金への情熱や信念が芽生えると思っています」
また別の父親は、「息子が10歳の頃に高級住宅地やモーターショーに連れて行ったが、その息子は今では工場の経営者になった」と話している。
こうした豪邸ツアーは、中国では頻繁に開催されており、珍しいものではない。豪邸ツアーの現場で働くスタッフは「週末には、50組ほどの家族が訪れ、親たちが子供に夢を持つことを教えようとしています」と話している。
一方で、豪邸ツアーに否定的な人たちもいるようだ。台湾の新聞、中国時報の英語サイト「Want China Times」によると、ある中国人ブロガーは、ミニブログの「新浪微博（シナウェイボー）」に「なんて薄っぺらい教育方針なんだろう」と書き込んでいる。
しかし、コメントに対して「お金が重要な意味を持つ世の中で、富を追求するよう子供たちに教えることは間違ったことではない」と反論してツアーを擁護する人たちもおり、賛否両論あることが分かる。
この記事はハフポストUK版に掲載されたものを翻訳しました。
[日本語版：湯本牧子/ガリレオ]
貧富の差が激しい国トップ10
10. ギリシャ(01 of10)
> Gini index – post tax & transfer: 0.335\n> Social spending, pct. of GDP: 24.0% (12th highest)\n> Chg. in Gini after tax & transfer: 0.220 (3rd largest)\n> Poverty rate: 15.2% (7th highest)\n\nThe health of a labor market is a factor affecting income inequality. Residents of countries with high unemployment rates may be less likely to earn a decent living. Greece, which went through a financial crisis in 2009, certainly fits the bill as a country where good-paying jobs are hard to come by. The country’s annual unemployment rate as of last year was more than 26%, the worst of any country in the OECD. The country’s part-time workers were much more likely to be unemployed because they had no other options. Moreover, 46.6% of the country’s part-time workers would have preferred a full-time job but could not find one. This was much higher than the 15% across the OECD.\n\nRead more at 24/7 Wall St. (credit:Kristoffer Trolle/Flickr)
9. 日本(02 of10)
> Gini index – post tax & transfer: 0.336\n> Social spending, pct. of GDP: N/A\n> Chg. in Gini after tax & transfer: 0.153 (11th smallest)\n> Poverty rate: 16.0% (6th highest)\n\nIn every country in the OECD, income inequality was mitigated somewhat by the country’s taxes and transfers, which include welfare and other forms of social assistance. In Japan, the country’s Gini index score fell from 0.488 before taxes and transfers to 0.336 after the fact. A college education often ensures a higher income, and so it might make sense that a well-educated population would be less likely to have high income disparity. Japan is at least one case where this is not the case, as nearly half of the country’s 25-64 year olds had the equivalent of a college degree, the third-highest proportion in the OECD.\n\nRead more at 24/7 Wall St. (credit:MD111/Flickr)
8. ポルトガル(03 of10)
> Gini index – post tax & transfer: 0.341\n> Social spending, pct. of GDP: 25.2% (10th highest)\n> Chg. in Gini after tax & transfer: 0.196 (11th largest)\n> Poverty rate: 11.9% (12th highest)\n\nSpending on social programs such as welfare, housing, and unemployment insurance can have an impact on income inequality, but in the case of Portugal this is clearly not sufficient. Just over 25% of the country’s GDP was spent on social programs compared to an OECD average of 21.6%. The country is one of a handful of European nations that have been mired in economic struggles for years, even receiving a bailout in 2011 from the European Union and the IMF. Portugal had the third-highest unemployment rate in the OECD, with 13.8% of the workforce looking for work and unable to find it. Not surprisingly, the country also had one of the highest rates of residents working part time because they felt they had no other alternative.\n\nRead more at 24/7 Wall St. (credit:Chrismatos ♥90% OFF, sorry/Flickr)
7. スペイン(04 of10)
> Gini index – post tax & transfer: 0.344\n> Social spending, pct. of GDP: 26.8% (8th highest)\n> Chg. in Gini after tax & transfer: 0.176 (15th largest)\n> Poverty rate: 15.1% (8th highest)\n\nArguably even more than Portugal, Spain has dealt with severe financial and economic struggles as a result of the global financial crisis. Spain’s ongoing economic depression has coincided with an abysmal job market. The country’s unemployment rate was just shy of 25%. Further, nearly 10% of those who were able to find jobs in Spain have been forced to take part-time work because they could not find other employment. It is the highest rate in the OECD and nearly four times the average rate. While the employment issues may have had an impact on Spain’s income inequality, low educational attainment rates among its adult population may also be a factor. More than 44% of Spain’s 25-64 year olds had not achieved more than a high school degree.\n\nRead more at 24/7 Wall St. (credit:David Ramos via Getty Images)
6. イギリス(05 of10)
> Gini index – post tax & transfer: 0.344\n> Social spending, pct. of GDP: 21.7% (16th lowest)\n> Chg. in Gini after tax & transfer: 0.181 (12th largest)\n> Poverty rate: 9.5% (13th lowest)\n\nBefore taxes and transfers, the United Kingdom had a Gini index score of 0.525, which was fifth in the OECD. After taxes and transders, the score fell to 0.344, which was sixth among the countries considered. Like many of the nations with high income inequality, the UK has a relatively large economy with a GDP of $2.5 trillion as of 2014, the fifth highest in the OECD. However, the country’s GDP per capita of $39,510 was 17th highest. The country was also among the nations with the highest proportion of workers in part-time jobs because they were unable to find full-time work.\n\nRead more at 24/7 Wall St. (credit:David Boyle in DC/Flickr)
5. イスラエル(06 of10)
> Gini index – post tax & transfer: 0.377\n> Social spending, pct. of GDP: 15.5% (4th lowest)\n> Chg. in Gini after tax & transfer: 0.103 (5th smallest)\n> Poverty rate: 20.9% (2nd highest)\n\nEven in countries with more conservative structures, taxes and transfers usually mitigate income inequality somewhat. In Israel, the Gini score fell from 0.481 to 0.377. However, they did not have nearly as much of an equaling effect as in other countries. In fact, the country ranked 16th-least equal before taxes and transfers and fifth-least equal after taxes and transfers. Income inequality means poverty rates are certain to be higher, and that appears to be true in Israel as well. More than 20% of the country’s population lived below the poverty line, the second worst rate in the OECD. Higher educational achievement may help reduce the country’s income inequality. Just 15% of the country’s 25-64 year olds had failed to achieve at least the equivalent of a high school diploma, compared to an average 23.46% across the OECD.\n\nRead more at 24/7 Wall St. (credit:israeltourism/Flickr)
4. アメリカ(07 of10)
> Gini index – post tax & transfer: 0.389\n> Social spending, pct. of GDP: 19.2% (10th lowest)\n> Chg. in Gini after tax & transfer: 0.118 (6th smallest)\n> Poverty rate: 17.4% (5th highest)\n\nThe United States once again ranks as one of the least equal developed nation in the world. It is also very unusual as a less equal nation. The United States is one of the wealthiest countries in the world with a GDP per capita of close to $55,000, fourth highest in the OECD. In fact, of the 16 nations with the highest per capita income in the OECD, the United States is the only one among the worst nations for income inequality. The United states had the fourth largest proportion of adults with a college degree. Having more college graduates might have helped reduce inequality in the country.\n\nRead more at 24/7 Wall St. (credit:Anthony Quintano/Flickr)
3. トルコ(08 of10)
> Gini index – post tax & transfer: 0.412\n> Social spending, pct. of GDP: 12.5% (3rd lowest)\n> Chg. in Gini after tax & transfer: 0.062 (3rd smallest\n)> Poverty rate: 19.2% (3rd highest)\n\nTurkey is one of poorest countries in the OECD with a GDP per capita of $18,993, second lowest among nations considered. It also had the third highest poverty rate in the OECD with 19.2% of its residents living below the poverty line. Turkey is another nation in which taxation and redistribution system does not reduce income inequality nearly as much as in most OECD nations. The country’s income inequality was 18th worst in the OECD before taxes and transfers and third worst after.\n\nRead more at 24/7 Wall St. (credit:eleephotography/Flickr)
2. メキシコ(09 of10)
> Gini index – post tax & transfer: 0.482\n> Social spending, pct. of GDP: N/A\n> Chg. in Gini after tax & transfer: N/A\n> Poverty rate: 21.4% (the highest)\n\nLess wealth per capita does not guarantee higher income inequality, but most of the OECD nations with the worst income inequality had less robust economies. This includes Mexico, which had a GDP per capita of just $17,880, the lowest among the nations considered and less than a third of the U.S. figure. Lower unemployment might be expected to maintain more equal salaries, but that does not appear to have made a big difference in Mexico. The country had an extremely low unemployment rate of just 4.8%, fourth lowest in the OECD. Given the high rate of income inequality in the country, it is not surprising that Mexico had the highest poverty rate of any OECD country at 21.4% of its population.\n\nRead more at 24/7 Wall St. (credit:Pavel Sigarteu/Flickr)
1. チリ(10 of10)
> Gini index – post tax & transfer: 0.503\n> Social spending, pct. of GDP: 10% (the lowest)\n> Chg. in Gini after tax & transfer: 0.029 (the smallest)\n> Poverty rate: 17.8% (4th highest)\n\nChile is the only nation in the OECD with a Gini index score after taxes and transfers higher than 0.5. This is so severe it actually surpasses the OECD average Gini score before taxes and transfers. While it is no guarantee, spending on social assistance programs can have an impact on inequality. In Chile, that was not a factor, as the country spent just 10% of its annual GDP on social programs, lower than any other developed nation and less than half the OECD average. Chile also had a poverty rate of 17.8%, fourth worst in the OECD.\n\nRead more at 24/7 Wall St. (credit:Uncommon Fritillary/Flickr)
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