Women and Poverty
In developing world, women and children are most experience the harshest
deprivation. They are more likely to be poor and malnourished, less likely to
receive medical services, clean water, sanitation and other benefits.
Women make up a substantial majority of the worlds poor.
Large number of poor that live in households headed by women, which often
without male wage earners. Earning potential of women is below than men. They
have less education and lower incomes.
“The larger the household, the greater the strain on the single parent and lower
the per capita food expenditure.”
Factors:
Household Income
Income disparities between male and female headed households
- Women are generally paid less than men for similar work.
- (Urban areas) Women are much less likely to obtain formal employment
from private companies or public agencies, and are frequently restricted to
illegal, low productivity jobs.
• Garment Industry
- prevents women from being regulated and exempt from minimum
wage laws or social security benefits.
- Even women receive conventional wage, minimum wage and safely
legislation may be flagrantly ignored.
- (Rural areas) Women have less access to resources necessary to generate
stable incomes.
• Law and social custom (established patterns of behavior & tradition that
are characteristics of a particular society of group) often prohibit women
from owning property or signing financial contracts without husband’s
signature.
- Government employment or income enhancing programs are accessible
primarily to men.
But Household income alone fails to describe the severity of women’s relative
deprivation.
Remember that:
GNI per capita is an inadequate measure of development because it fails to
reflect the extent of absolute poverty. Likewise, Household income is poor
measure of individual welfare because the distribution of income within
household may be quiet unequal.
Economic status
It provides a better indication of women’s own welfare and of their children.
- Many regions in the world shown a strong bias against females in areas
such as nutrition, medical care, education, and inheritance.
• Gender biases reduce the rate of survival among female infants.
• Asian Countries have female-male sex ratios that is below to their
expected , that 100m girls and women are said to be missing.
- (Men have greater potential for contributing financially) daughters are
often married to families outside village, and they become exclusively
responsible to their in-laws and cease to contribute to their family of
origin.
- But studies have found that if women’s income is high, there is less
Box 5.1
discrimination against them, and they are better able to meet their
provides
own needs including for their children.
views of • when household income is marginal (barely sufficient to cover expenses)
poor on most women income is contributed toward household nutritional intake.
gender • increasing in total household income do not necessarily translate into
relations improved nutritional status.
“Low levels of living among women and children is common where
economic status of women remains low”
Another factor why women’s economic status is low that leads to
limitations of women’s control over household resources.
- Some work performed by women is unremunerated /unpaid
• collecting firewood and cooking, parenting
- Not paid for the work they perform in family agriculture or business
• Mexico – 22.5% agricultural sector, 7.63% non agricultural sector (w/out
pay)
• male head of household control all funds from crops or family business,
even significant is provided by his wife.
• many cultures believed that it is socially unacceptable for women to
contribute significantly to household income.
- There are government programs such as in urban areas, training programs
to increase earning potential and formal sector employment are generally
geared to men.
- Development efforts can increase women’s workload while at the same
time reduce the share of household resources over which they exercise
control.
Solution:
To improve living conditions for poorest individuals, women must be drawn
into the economic mainstream. It must increase female participation rates
in educational and training programs, formal sector employment, and
agricultural extension programs. And to have equal access to government
resources. Legalizing informal sector employment would also improve
economic status of women.
Any process of growth that fails to improve the welfare of women who
suffered poverty has failed to accomplish one of the principal goals of
development (SDG) 1. No poverty.
The low status of women is likely to translate into slower rates of
economic growth.
That’s why development programs must prioritize women’s inclusion and
challenge the assumptions that reinforce gender inequalities, as
neglecting women’s economic statues can hinder poverty reduction and
economic growth .
