In Africa, the majority of poor people are women. Women are expected to live off of their husband’s money and not make their own income, but when families can't support each other there's really no other choice. Many women are using micro-loans from banks in Africa to help them start a business and eventually make enough money to support their family. Elizabeth Matsangou states that “80% of microfinance institutions poorest clients are women who live on less than 1.25$ a day”. These micro-loans are empowering women by starting businesses to make their own money and not have to live off their husbands or other male relatives and women are being seen as an important part of the family by husbands and kids. Lastly, women can use the money from …show more content…
When a woman takes out a loan, 5% can not always pay it back which is crucial. Based off of “The Hidden Ways Microfinance Hurts Women”, Lamia Karim explains that “Women who cannot repay a loan are subjected to public shaming by the entire community of borrowers, who are pressured hard by microfinance institutions to recover or repay the defaulted sum themselves, lest they risk losing access to future loans.” Basically, the author is telling the reader that women who are not able to pay back loans are given consequences, potentially ruining their life by not being able to take out a future loan. On the other hand, women who can pay back their loans do well for themselves. For example, from chapter 21 of Geography Alive, Margaret Saajjabi came from a poor family where she couldn't get an education. She started her micro-enterprise by selling laundry soap and bottled soft drinks. Saajjabi now supports her 6 children and 19 nieces and nephews with an education and much more. Micro-loans can be dangerous to a woman's life if they can not come up eight he money to pay off their loan, but the women that can often become successful. 95% of the women can pay back their loans and hopefully start a healthy micro-enterprise to help the impoverished nation, thus making them more
The book I chose to write my paper on is Flat Broke with Children: Women in the Age of Welfare Reform by Sharon Hays. In the book, the author looks at the welfare reform act enacted in 1996, known as the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996. . She examines both the positive and negative effects that the Act has had on the poor as well as the effects it has had on society overall.
Poverty is a significant threat to women’s equality. In Canada, more women live in poverty than men, and women’s experience of poverty can be harsher, and more prolonged. Women are often left to bear more burden of poverty, leading to ‘Feminization of poverty’. Through government policy women inequality has resulted in more women and children being left in poverty with no means of escaping. This paper will identify some key aspects of poverty for Canadian women. First, by identifying what poverty entails for Canadian women, and who is more likely to feel the brunt of it. Secondly the discussion of why women become more susceptible to poverty through government policy and programs. Followed by the effects that poverty on women plays in society. Lastly, how we can reduce these effects through social development and policy.
Income inequality is a big ongoing problem in the United States. It has a big effect on what America was all about, the American dream. The American dream that everyone is equal and has equal opportunities. Although a big part of what goes on in the Untied States that just doesn’t fit the American dream; women are unequal in the work place. They are put under what is known as the “Glass Ceiling”. Women do not get promoted in the work place and aren’t getting equal pay as men. This also leads to wag gap between the men and women. Both create income inequality for women and affect their American Dream. There is a long history of women having to deal with the “Glass Ceiling”. Over time woman have made progress but more progress is needed to make things equal. Women suffer from income inequality because of the “Glass Ceiling” and wag gap, thus going against the American Dream.
Additionally, over the years women have progressed in their educational studies. For instance, women currently make up fifty-seven percent of all college students (Marklein Paragraph 2). This proves that women are competent of succeeding and accomplishing more than men. As a result, women have gained the freedom to be able to strive for a degree and be able to be independent. Almost one in four women earns a bachelor’s degree compared to one in seven men (Hechinger Paragraph 2). Women have traveled along way from not even being able to attempt working for an education. Without working women America would have a hard time advancing and keeping up with work demands. Besides, women compromise forty-six percent of the total United States labor force (Perkins 1).This is a testament that women are no longer being discriminated against in any aspect of life.
When Dyk is explaining poverty of the poor rural Southern Black Women, she also says that, “You will be encouraged by their strength and resiliency.” (Dyk178). This means that even though some women have to prostitute themselves and face domestic as well as community violence, they keep on trying to find different ways to earn, so that they can feed their children and give them a better life. Similarly, Coontz presents it in a different way and call it economic independence. One of the reasons why divorce rates are high now, is because women are economically independent because they are educated. They did used to earn in the past, but now they have control over their income and they don’t put up with things like men abusing them or domestic violence; this shows that women have become stronger economically and emotionally as compared to how they were in the past. Those who criticize women for working and not spending time with their children, Coontz states that, “Kids do better when their mothers are happy with their lives.” (Coontze98).
"Women do two thirds of the world’s work...Yet they earn only one tenth of the world’s income and own less than one percent of the world’s property. They are among the poorest of the world’s poor." –Barber B. Conable Jr, President, World Bank
The Feminist Analyses Theory states because society tends to put women in more subordinate positions to men, they do not have access to the same jobs and opportunities (Macionis. 2015). Men are more commonly in positions and jobs of power than women, and make more money, therefore leading to the Feminization of Poverty. In 2014, the poverty rate for women was nearly 15 %, 5% more than men at the time (Anon. 2015). In addition, over half of the children living in poverty were headed by single mothers. The Feminist Theory argues that due to the high rates of Female poverty, and women raising children on their own, they are more likely to turn to less violent crimes for money (Macionis. 2015). For example, in 2013 women made up 41% of fraud arrests,
Women make up 70% of the world’s 1.5 billion people living in absolute poverty, basically earning less than $2 USD a day. Women perform 66% of the world’s work, produce 50% of the food, but earn 10% of the income and own 1% of the property. (Unicef , “Gender Equality—The Big Picture,” 2007). There are 876 million illiterate adults and from that 2/3 of them are women (AIC Training Booklet “Women & Poverty” 2007). In the United States, the poverty rate is higher for women, 13.8% of females are poor compared to 11.1 % of men (US Census Bureau, 2007). Women today face many hardships and suffer throughout the world because of poverty and the multiple factors that contribute to it. The “Feminization of Poverty” is a multifaceted problem that does not only have a huge impact on women, but to their children and the society as a whole. This term describes a phenomenon in which women represent unequal percentages of the world’s poor. The UNIFEM describes it as “ the burden of poverty borne by women, especially in developing countries” (“Economic Empowerment, FIND YEAR). To me this definition explains how hard my single mother had to work for a job supporting my brothers and I. This concept is not only a result of low income, but it is also because of the disadvantages of opportunities and gender bias in society (Brady and Krall, 2008). The levels and conditions of poverty in situations affect the choices that a woman must make. These choices include healthy living and the quality of life that influences how a person enjoys being free. Women’s increase in the portion of poverty is related to the high rates of single mother households. All of these factors influence how the term feminization of poverty is controversial and has been defined i...
Statistical data in the article showed 60 percent of the world’s illiterates were women, many of whom were not born with any sort of education or financial privileges to further their career into a prosperous one; such women need to get out of their hut and go out there and explore their opportunities and fight for their rights. One-reason women haven’t been able to care about their lose of privileges is because they exist in a society where they are set behind a psychological mindset to serve men and grow a family. Women need to let go of this biased theory, and learn to fight their own battles and live their independent lives with full
One of the Biggest Challenges for Women Today: The Feminization of Poverty The division of labour and education along gender lines, racial inequalities and discrimination, and unpaid domestic labour all contribute to the growing feminization of poverty. Feminists are working to decrease the income gap, to benefit the overall health of women and the population at large. The term feminization of poverty describes the disproportionate number of women who are poor, and its link to the division of labour along gender lines (Calixte, Johnson, & Motapanyane, 2010). The Canadian Labour Congress reported that in 2005, women working full time earned 70.5 cents to the dollar that every male in a comparable job earned ( as cited in Calixte, et al., 2010, p. 17). Across the board, women are more likely to suffer from poverty than men are (Harnan, 2006).
Mistreatment of women in the workforce has been an ongoing issue ever since women have been introduced into the work environment. While some issues are specific to certain workplaces, others are issues that are continuously noticed almost everywhere. There are many who experience poverty around the world, but research has shown that along with ethnic and racial minorities (of said country), women have been consistently among the most disadvantaged and programs to help those in poverty that do not take gender inequality into account have consistently failed to help women out of these circumstances. (International Development Agency (USAID) “Women, Men and Development”) “Men and women often are poor and for different reasons, experience poverty differently, and have differing capacities to withstand or escape poverty.”(Whitehead, Ann Failing Women, Sustaining Poverty: Gender in Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers) There have been many instances...
Throughout the international community, women have been a primary focus of the United Nations due to their importance to the economic and social balance in a country. The advancement of women is a vital issue concerning the world as the new millenium begins. Although the international community views women with high regard and of the utmost respect, ancient traditions, one sided beliefs, and false stereotypical propaganda, which demean and belittle women are existent in the world today. Historically, women have been victims of inequality and abusive practices, and due to this, many women never reach their full potential in the economic world. First, the primary root that hinders the progress of women is the inferiority complex at an early age.
Since its emergence, microcredit has been viewed as a very important tool for development. Many around the world believe microcredit is the antidote for global poverty. Although the Grameen Bank focuses only on people from Bangladesh, different microfinance institutions had been established around the world. Accion International is one example of these institutions in Latin America, which started providing loans in 1973 (The history of microfinance, 2005). These financial institutions started to grow rapidly due to high demands of small loans. Poor people around the world started to lose faith to their countries’ authorities to provide for their well being and started to tur...
The inequality of genders is a factor to the issue of poverty. Many nations are trying their best to fix the issue of gender inequality. Gender inequality is very visible in the primary and secondary levels of education in Ghana. The amount of boys always tends to outnumber the girls. Due to the fact that many women do not have any educational background, they either end up trading or get engaged in agriculture activity. In sub-Saharan Africa, women are barely recognized in issues that are non-agriculture. About 64% of women are mainly employed in the agriculture sector. The low employment level of women makes poverty a stronghold in the household of women. Women tend to not get enough income to support themselves and their families, especially when they are single parents or the man is unemployed. Women also tend to face low employment rates, and those with a good education, who have the chance of being employed, rarely get the opportunity. The women who are lucky enough to get employed are rarely promoted due to their
It is true of Africa that women constitute a treasure that remains largely hidden. (Moleketi 10) African women grow 90% of all African produce, and contribute about 70% of Africa’s agricultural labor every year. (Salmon 16) Both the labor and food that are provided by African women go towards the increase in Africa’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). (Moleketi 10) Although African women are feeding the majority of Africa’s inhabitants, the constricting ropes of gender inequality are still holding them back from being appreciated and living up to their full potential. Outstandingly, women such as President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, of Liberia, have gladly accepted the challenge of breaking free of these ropes. The history of women’s rights in Africa, the glass ceiling, and the modern aspects of women’s rights, all play prominent roles in the overall condition of women’s rights in Africa. Until the day arrives that these discriminatory injustices are corrected, individuals in African nations will continue to struggle.