Question

describes the “feminization of poverty.” Briefly define this idea and explain the causes of this trend. How does the existence of female-dominated occupations contribute to the feminization of poverty?

Answer 1

• The actual term “feminization of poverty” was conceived in the 1970s, yet has only truly gained recognition among scholars and activists in the past two decades. The highly gendered nature of economic disparity, however, remains largely unrecognized on a global stage.
• The feminization of poverty is the phenomenon in which women experience poverty at rates that are disproportionately high in comparison to men.Though in industrialized nations a great emphasis is placed on women shattering the glass ceiling and climbing the corporate ladder, the most unquestionably pressing and widespread socioeconomic issue faced by women around the world is poverty,and often extreme poverty at that.Of all the people in the world living in poverty, 70% are women.
• The prevalence of women living below the poverty level is not mere circumstance or conincidence, nor is it just a women's issue. It's a matter of human concern. Feminized poverty encompasses far more than just matters of income or indiviudal suffering; when allowed to perpetuate, it ensnares generation after generation in a vicious cycle of poverty and hopelessness, threatening the health and well-being of women and their families all over the world.
• There is no singular cause for this phenomenon, yet the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) has identified four key “dimensions” that indicate a heightened rate of poverty for women:
• 1.The temporal dimension.-Women are often primarily responsible for childcare and household duties—tasks for which they receive no pay. Women living in developing nations may also be relied upon to participate in exhausting physical and/or agricultural labor to help support the livelihoods of their families and villages.
• Having so many other responsibilities, these women have less time to devote to paid employment, and consequently earn a smaller income, even though they are effectively doing more work than their male counterparts.
• 2. The spatial dimension- When employment is sare, women may have to migrate to other areas to find work temporarily. If a woman has children, however, she may be unable to pursue a job that takes her far from her family.
• 3. The employment segmentation dimension- Being naturally classified as caretakers, women have often been corralled into specific lines of work, such as teaching, caring for children and the elderly, domestic servitude, and factory work such as textile production. These kinds of jobs lack stability, security and a higher income.
• 4. The valuation dimension-In the same vein, the unpaid labor that women perform in taking care of family members and other household chores is considered of far less worth (at least economically) than positions that require formal education or training.
• Other factors include:-
• Lack of education- In countries where school is not compulsory or where girls encounter various barriers to education, upward economic mobility through higher-skilled employment is nearly impossible.
• Discrimination-Women may be subject to inequalities in wages, benefits, property rights, and so froth. Cultural practices rooted in misogynistic stereotypes may also incur prejudiced behavior toward women.
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