Feminization of poverty is the phenomenon that women represent disproportionate percentages of the world’s poor. UNIFEM describes it as “the burden of poverty borne by women, especially in developing countries”.

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Women’s poverty is directly related to the absence of economic opportunities and autonomy, lack of access to economic resources, including credit, land ownership and inheritance, lack of access to education and support services and their minimal participation in the decision-making process. Poverty can also force women into situations in which they are vulnerable to sexual exploitation.

Female face of poverty:

• Unpaid work done by women across the globe amounts to a staggering $10 trillion a year, which is 43 times the annual turnover of the world’s biggest company Apple, according to an Oxfam study
• Inequality has ‘female face’ in India, women’s unpaid work worth 3.1% of GDP
• Women spend 312 minutes per day in urban areas and 291 minutes per day in rural areas on such unpaid care work, it added. In comparison, men spend only 29 minutes in urban and 32 minutes in rural areas on unpaid care work.
• Although India has many laws that deal with violence against women, but their implementation remains a challenge, including due to a deeply patriarchal society.

Causes:

• Several factors affect the feminization of poverty, and these factors place women at high risk of poverty.
• Though low income is the major cause, there are many interrelated facets of this problem.
• Lone mothers are usually at the highest risk for extreme poverty because their income is insufficient to rear children.
• It then lowers their children’s possibilities for good education and nourishment.
• Low income is a consequence of the social bias women face in trying to obtain formal employment, which in turn deepens the cycle of poverty.
• As the number of women in poverty increases, the diverse causes affecting their poverty must be examined.
• Poverty is multidimensional, and therefore economic, demographic, and socio-cultural factors all overlap and contribute to the establishment of poverty.
• It is a phenomenon with multiple root causes and manifestations

Measures needed:

• Access to an independent and adequate income for all
  • Barriers to employment should be tackled by investment in childcare and adult social care, public transport and flexible and adaptable jobs.
  • Benefits should be designed to ensure that every individual within a household has access to a fair income
  • In addition to collecting data at the household level, statistical authorities (including the ONS and DWP) should collect and publish income data at the individual level.
• Sharing care responsibilities and care costs more equally – within families and in society
  • Parental and paternity leave should be lengthened and adequately paid to ensure that men can take it. Maternity leave should be paid at the same higher rate.
  • Flexible working should be offered as an immediate right to all employees so that women and men can choose their right balance of work and family responsibilities. Differential use of flexible working by men and women should be monitored, and policies put in place to encourage more equal take up.
  • Investment in child and adult social care should be consistent and adequate to ensure that these services are high quality, affordable and available to all who need it.
• Sustainable funding for specialist women’s organisations
  • Specialist local women’s organisations should be adequately funded to ensure that all women have access to relevant support.

Conclusion:

Thus, there is a need for a multipronged approach with better choices and decision making for women in terms of inadequate food, housing, education, healthcare, sanitation, poor developmental policies, and more.