Feminization of poverty
Uploaded by danielaant on Jun 22, 2016
Feminization of poverty
Daniela Antonovska
Skopje, 2016
Content
Introduction ……………………………………………………………………….3
Defining poverty. Phenomenon Feminization of poverty. Causes ……………….4
Impact of economic crisis and austerity measures to feminization of poverty ……………………………………........................................................................9
The Feminist economics versus neoliberalism and globalization……………….12
International documents and resolutions. Measures and recommendations to fight feminization of poverty ………………………………………………………….15
Conclusion..............................................................................................................18
List of reference......................................................................................................20
Introduction
The main research question in the paper is the interconnectedness between gender differences and inequalities and the phenomenon of “feminization of poverty.” Poverty is a denial of access to fundamental human rights, it is a deprivation of capabilities and resources. It is a multifaceted phenomenon including social, economic and political components. The term “feminization of poverty” was coined by Diana Pearce in 1976 who used the term to indicate a gender biased change in declined economic status in women due to the fact that they are women. Gender differences and inequalities between men and women are among the important factors for women’s poverty and social exclusion. The profound formulation of feminization of poverty from a feminist viewpoint is that women are poorer than men because of patriarchal system that imposed traditional stereotypical gender roles, economic powerlessness, and insufficient access to family resources such as houses and land, the influence of capitalism and neoliberalism on devaluation of feminized labor and the multifaceted effects of the concept of globalization as gender biased.
The feminist economics focused on issues such as occupational segregation, feminization of labor, unpaid child and elderly care and domestic work, which are seen as “non –economic phenomenon.” Women and men entered differently the economic crisis in ’80-ties, the economic crisis in 2007-8 and subsequent austerity measures were mainly directed towards cuts in public care, particularly cuts in maternity and parental leave, health services and child care services that led to re-privatization of care and return the women to traditional gender roles. The “feminization of poverty” particularly jeopardized certain groups of women such as single and divorced mothers in female headed households, elderly women, immigrant women, disabled women. The phenomenon is multidimensional and is affected by gender, age, class, race, and ethnicity. In both in developed and developing countries as well as in post-socialist transitional economies in Central and Eastern Europe is visible the interconnectedness between the gender, economic development and poverty. Combating poverty and reaching gender equality need reorientation in economic planning and change in public conscious. The newest data by Eurostat showed that the percent of women in poverty remained...