Daisy Aguirre 11/14/16

Sociology MW

Feminization of Poverty

The feminization of poverty is defined as the phenomenon that women represent uneven

percentages of the world's poor. UNIFEM describes it as "the burden of poverty borne by

women, especially in developing countries". This is an important issue because women tend to

live longer than men and be at greater risk of living in poverty in their old age, and also because

the poverty of women frequently represents the poverty of children. To better understand the

feminization of poverty, it is vital to determine what factors place women at higher risk for

poverty and what factors lessen this probability. In addition, better social programs need to be

developed not only to help raise the quality of life for women living in poverty through welfare

in the short term, but also to raise it more permanently through helping women overcome the

factors that put them at risk.

If you live in or visit a city or metropolitan area, the reality of poverty and homelessness

quickly becomes apparent. On one hand, one can typically see luxury apartment buildings, high-

end shops, and other trappings of affluence. On the other hand, one can also see public housing,

homeless beggars, and soup kitchens. Although it may be difficult to see these things from the

top of the penthouse suite, the truth is that the poor are always with us. Poverty in the United

States varies, although in general it has been declining since the 1950s; the poverty rate fell each

year between 1993 and 2000 (when it hit 11.3 percent), though there was a slight increase later

due to the 20082009 economic downturn. In 2010, 15.1 percent of the population was living in

poverty. Although historically, issues related to poverty were typically grouped according to race

or ethnicity, social scientists today are increasingly concerned with the demographic of women

living at or below the poverty line.

Daisy Aguirre 11/14/16
Sociology MW

Although one of the most important demographics in the feminization of poverty

comprises young women who are the heads of their households, these are not the only victims.

Older women, too, are increasingly affected by poverty due in part to the fact that they live

longer than men and are often financially less secure in their later years. Who wants to hire an

older woman? Not many companies for sure. They would rather have someone young with a

college degree. The feminization of poverty affects both women and children. If you think about

it, the mother is probably not at home, leaving the child alone. The child has no parental

guidance, which in turn could result in many other consequences. One example is teen

pregnancy. Now the mother of that child would have to feed at least 3 people. In 2013, over 30

percent of women-headed families with single mothers were living in poverty. In 2011 more than

1 in 5 children lived in poverty and approximately 47 percent of children with a single mother

lived in poverty. The sad part is that the cycle may repeat with those children. No opportunities

were ever available to them.

Another reason for the increasing number of young women who are heads of households

is that extended familieswhich were the center of familial life for many generationshave

become increasingly replaced by nuclear families. This means, for example, that a divorced

woman is more likely to set up her own household rather than move back in with her parents.

Similarly, single teenage mothers are more likely to set up their own households rather than to

continue to live with their parents. As a result, in both these types of situations, a new female

head of household situation is created (Pressman, 1988).

In addition, the divorce rate in this country is relatively high (40-50% of married couples

end up getting a divorce) and mothers often receive little child support from their former spouses
Daisy Aguirre 11/14/16
Sociology MW

or the fathers of their children, factors that compound to increase the likelihood of women

needing to support a family with insufficient income. In addition, many observers (conflict

theorists in particular) also note that the feminization of poverty is due to other features of

discrimination against women, most notably sexual harassment, sexual discrimination in the job

market, and the difficulty in finding affordable child care. Because of such factors, women living

in poverty tend to live with lower income than men living in poverty.

Some observers have suggested that the feminization of poverty is a result of lower

educational achievement by women. However, statistics show that education levels have

increased rapidly not only in general but for women in particular since the era of World War II. A

more promising explanation, therefore, is the changing age in racial makeup of households

headed by women.

Despite the alarmingly high figures for the feminization of poverty, not all women living

at or below the poverty line are doing so permanently. Many are in transition while undergoing

an economic crisis such as the death, disability, or departure of a spouse. However, the other half

of poor women in the United States are dependent on either the welfare system or on friends or

relatives for help. The feminization of poverty is due not only to sociological issues, however,

but to political ones as well. Federal budget cuts in recent years have also contributed to this

phenomenon. For example, in November 2013 the US Congress cut the budget for food stamps

by about $5 billion, which affected 47 million people. Since women tend to be more reliant on

public sector jobs than are men, federal budget cutbacks also negatively impact the ability of

poor women to earn an income. Then again, how can you earn an income if the minimum wage

in the Unites States is $7.25. Nationwide, women comprise two-thirds of all minimum-wage
Daisy Aguirre 11/14/16
Sociology MW

workers. Women could be working 40 hour weeks and still not have enough money to attend

their basic needs. Therefore, the minimum wage needs to be increased. If Seattle already passed

an ordinance to increase its minimum wage to $15 an hour, I know other states can follow.

The feminization of poverty is a serious issue, however, not many people notice the

impact it really has. Christopher Hitchens says, The cure for poverty has a name, in fact. Its

called the empowerment of women. If you give women some control over the rate at which they

reproduce, if you give them a say, take them off the animal cycle of reproduction to which nature

and some religious doctrine condemns them, and then if you throw in a handful of seeds, the

floor of everything in that village, not just poverty, but health and education, will rise.
Daisy Aguirre 11/14/16
Sociology MW

Works Cited

"Wikigender." Wikigender. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2016.

http://www.wikigender.org/wiki/feminization-of-poverty/

"Beijing +5 - Women 2000: Gender Equality, Development and Peace for the 21st Century
Twenty-third Special Session of the General Assembly, 5-9 June 2000." UN News Center. UN, n.d.
Web. 13 Nov. 2016.

http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/followup/session/presskit/fs1.htm

"Marriage & Divorce." American Psychological Association. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2016.

http://www.apa.org/topics/divorce/

Rios, Carmen. "These 5 Statistics Prove That We're Feminizing Poverty (And Keeping
Women Down in the Process)." Everyday Feminism. N.p., 20 June 2015. Web. 13 Nov. 2016.

http://everydayfeminism.com/2015/06/feminizing-poverty/

"The Feminization of Poverty." The Feminization of Poverty. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2016.

https://www.mtholyoke.edu/~abbat22l/classweb/feminizationofpoverty/

Sarah McKinleyVioleta Duncan Posted Jul 11, 2014. "These Women-Run Co-ops Push Back
Against the." YES! Magazine. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2016.

http://www.yesmagazine.org/commonomics/the-feminization-of-poverty
Daisy Aguirre 11/14/16
Sociology MW