Women in Poverty

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Recommended: Feminization of poverty is a trend whereby women are disproportionately represented in those living under the poverty line

The saying “pull yourself up by your own bootstraps,” is a common one here in the United States. There is a stigma here that if one works hard enough, they can be anyone they want to be. A lot of people who believe that stigma, did not actually have to pull themselves up by their bootstraps. They were born on third base and think they hit a triple. According to an article in the Huffington Post, the richest one percent holds 46 percent of the world’s wealth. This one percent includes people such as the Walton children, the inheritors of the money made from Wal-Mart, which was created by their father (“Richest 1 Percent Hold”). It is pretty obvious that they did not have to pull themselves up by the bootstraps, that these people barely had to work at all to receive a huge sum of money. But, then there is the opposite side of the spectrum. There are people who work incredibly hard every single day of their lives, but will forever be stuck in a life of poverty. Some may look at this huge problem and think of an easy solution. Just have rich people give their money to poor people. A common idea, also known as charity. Though, when given a deeper look, charity can sometimes be the same concept as putting a bandage on a bullet wound.
It is true that there are people who need help more than others. It is also true that within those people who need help, there are certain groups who need more of it. The feminization of poverty is the rising amount of women who represent a disproportionate percentage of the world’s poor (Chant 202). In most cases, it is due to inequality that has been imbedded into societies for many generations. In the United States it is a common belief that every person should receive equal rights and o...

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...orld's Wealth." The Huffington Post. Huffington Post, 9 Oct. 2013. Web. 3 Dec. 2013. .
Roodman, David. "Microcredit Doesn't End Poverty, despite All the Hype." The Washington Post. Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2012. Web. 3 Dec. 2013. .
Rosser, Ezra. "Reclaiming Demographics: Women, Poverty, and the Common Interest in Particular Struggles." Journal of Gender, Social Policy, and the Law 20.4 (2012): 767-73. Print.
Yglesias, Matthew. "The Best and Simplest Way to Fight Global Poverty." Slate. Slate Group, 29 May 2013. Web. 3 Dec. 2013. .

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