Essay On Feminization Of Poverty

The feminization of poverty is a concept that emerged in the 1970s. Since then, due to much debate over the topic, it has adopted several meanings but, essentially, it reminds us that women are rapidly becoming the face of poverty. The term is generally used to describe the rise of poverty among women or the difference between incomes in households headed by women and households headed by men or both. Poverty, in this context, not only means lack of resources but also a lack of choices, opportunities and security within society. Globally, the poverty line is considered to be $1.25 per day. Pakistan’s poverty line is approximately $1.25-2 per day. Due to the lack of opportunities, women are becoming increasingly marginalised today’s world. The issue is expanding rapidly because the current political environment of the world often diverts the attention from this issue. Problems such as terrorism not only side line socio-economic issues similar to the feminisation of poverty but also generate fear and propagate a mind set that only worsens the issue at hand. In this report I will be exploring how the stereotypes and gender roles present in the status quo harm not only females all across the world but the generations to come too. My arguments will depict how

These women have been raised with a mind set that prevents them from embracing opportunities and stepping out into the world. It is often because they think they cannot break away from the culture of poverty that they are unable to. Children in female-headed houses or living with single mothers are twice as likely to live in relative poverty as children living in male-headed houses or with couples. This is due to one primary reason, the lack of opportunities has feminized poverty and isolated women further, these women are unable to provide their children with opportunities, hence trapping them in an inescapable culture of