Table of Contents
Poverty in the Household
Being left out of social activities.
Good Governance and government policy
Traditional Carer Role
Time and gender
Over the past decade there has been increasing concern about the growing disparity between men and their poverty. This is known as the feminization poverty. One theory is that women are more vulnerable to poverty than their male counterparts. Poverty is the opposite of wellbeing. This does not include income.
According to the Development Assistance Committee (2001), poverty includes a variety of dimensions that are related to human capabilities, food availability, health care, dignity, rights, and quality education. Richard and Sonja (2008) say that poverty goes beyond inability, lack of access, and inability, to obtain quality healthcare, education, and shelter. Poor sanitation, poor shelter, and hunger are all signs of poverty. Poor income, low education, poor assets, and a lack thereof can all lead to poverty. JawaharlalNehru was the first Indian prime minister. He stated, “You can tell the condition a country by the status of its females (Nachiappan und Rajan 2008.). Green, 2010, is one example of the many voices and opinions that have been raised about poverty’s effect on women. One of the most common characteristics of poor countries is the feminization. This happens in more than half of those nations. 70% of those living in poverty are made up by women (Maghadam in 2005; UNIFEM in 2013; Chant in 2003). About 80% of African farmers are women, with more than 40% of them illiterate (Johnson 2013, 2013). The multifaceted nature of poverty means that both men as well as women are affected by it. However, some causes can be more detrimental to women than others. These factors will be discussed in the following:
Poverty within the HouseholdLiterature studies show that all household members are considered equal beneficiaries of the household’s income. This is however a misleading approach that hides the severity of poverty in households. Men typically control the income distribution and use of the income. Women tend to sacrifice personal assets and clothes in order not to harm their family. This means that women in households are more likely to be poor than other household members.
Social Exclusion: The most common cause of poverty is social excluded. Women in poverty often have difficulty taking part in community activities, such as the political or social. Because of their low self-confidence due to poverty, they are unable to participate in the community’s social and political activities. This not only impacts the well-being of women living in poverty, but also decreases the chances of them escaping poverty.
Because of their social status as women, they have a limited access to opportunities and resources. If a person has the ability to use or possess a resource and have means to produce, distribute, exchange, or consume products, then that is class (Bradley 1998) Gender refers back to the social functions, behaviors, hopes and expectations of a person’s gender, as reflected in their social and cultural beliefs and the interactions between people in their communities (Blackden, Wodon, 2006).
Government Policy and Good GovernanceGovernments often formulate policies aimed at reducing poverty but they fail formulate specific policies aimed at reducing female poverty. It is difficult to consider gender when drafting policies for reducing poverty. Social exclusion, unemployment and participation in decision-making that affects women are all factors that increase the risk of becoming poor. Lack of gender-based policies to encourage women to have better paying jobs and more opportunities to be part of the decision making process in their communities as well as that of the nation overall. Poor governance can also contribute to increased poverty and civil war (Mcferson.2009; Collier.2007).
Female poverty is also caused by poor governance in many countries. Bad governance is a factor that can help improve the welfare of those in need, especially for women living in Africa’s poorest countries (Baden and 1999). A nation cannot develop if it has poor governance or corruption. This is because people without political connections are most likely to suffer. Women are most likely to have access to opportunities if they know people in high-ranking positions or offices. Women are also not included in decision-making. The number of women in parliament has increased over the last decade, with women holding 16% worldwide. There is still a dearth of female voices in public and political decision-making. Even if such a vice exists it is typically too weak for significant change.
Traditional role of a carer Stereotypes have resulted that women have been mainly responsible for caring and cooking for their elderly parents, as well as cleaning up after them. Women are restricted to only working part-time or no work at all if they cannot balance their working and family lives. This hinders women’s ability to learn skills and take on employment to build their assets, earn income and get a pension.
Gender, Time and Time. The time use issue is an important component of the gendered and poverty paradigm in Africa. (Kes & Swaminathan 2006). “Time poverty” is particularly harmful to poor girls and women who have to work hard and give their time to various tasks. This can lead to them being unable to go to school. (Canagarajah & Coulombe 1998. Contrary to Collier, 1998, who claimed that the poor have a lower chance cost of time because they are unemployed or underemployed, rural African women suffer from severe time shortages. Women are more likely to experience time shortages than women in “normal” situations. This is especially true in conflict situations where women and girls, as young children, must take on the most demanding tasks to provide daily living for their male counterparts.
Because of the nature and availability of most jobs, women are more vulnerable to poverty. Despite the rise in education and employment rates of women, they are more likely to be paid less than men. Women make up the majority in lower-wage workforce. They are more likely to work in low-wage jobs, especially in low-income countries. Women earn less than men, regardless of where they live. One thing that is consistent is the dominance of women in low-paying jobs, regardless if they are educated, married, white, black, or Asian. This will require at least 70 years to close, Oxfam estimates. Oxfam estimates that 700 million men and women are working less than 700 million women. Oxfam claims that 75 percent (75%) of women in developing economies work in the informal economy, which doesn’t provide legal rights, social security or contracts.
All races of women are overrepresented in lower-wage jobs that pay less then $10 an hour. Many multinational corporations, such as Nike or Adidas, use labour in Asia to produce their products. They also have factories there that are sometimes referred as “sweatshops” due to the harsh working environment. Many factories have jobs for young women in desperate situations. They are often paid less than $10, and they work long hours in very poor conditions. These women face verbal and physical abuse by their employers, and must also work hard to meet high daily quotas. These women live in inhumane conditions and receive very low wages. These women are often forced to take birthcontrol pills by their employers in order to avoid becoming pregnant.
They also don’t have access to pension and health insurance. These workers don’t have enough money to improve their overall well-being and few employers within the sector pay the minimum legal wage. Most women cannot escape poverty by working in this sector. Additionally, women must perform unpaid tasks such as childcare, household chores, and cooking. These duties are performed by women as much as 10 times more than men, Oxfam estimates. The value of these tasks is $10 trillion, which is equal to one-eighth the world’s GDP.
Another factor contributing to the feminization poverty is the segmentation of employment. The roles of women are typically those of caregivers and caretakers. These include cooking, cleaning, housework, and teaching. These jobs are difficult for women and don’t offer security, job stability or high wages. Additionally, these jobs lack social security in the form of pension and health insurance.
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