Feminization of Poverty

“Poverty need not always wear a women’s face.”

 

Introduction

What if I told you that 70% of all Americans living at or near poverty are women and children? That is 42 million women in the United States live at or near the poverty line. The number of women living below the poverty line in shocking to me. Women also constitute the majority of the 1.5 billion people living on just $1 a day or less. My interest in this topic was sparked after reading the Brownsworth blog for class. This blog explores what feminization of poverty is, what causes feminization, the racialization of feminization of poverty, and why it is important to address this issue.



What is the “feminization of poverty?”
The term “feminization of poverty” originated in the United States in the late 1970’s, when it was discovered that the fastest growing type of family structure was that of female-headed households. The high rate of poverty among these households was illustrated in the growing number of women and children who were poor. The “feminization of poverty” is a phenomenon in which women are experiencing poverty at higher rates that are disproportionately high in comparison to men. Some individuals argue that there is such a thing as feminization of poverty. Others argue that there is no such thing as the feminization of poverty because a growing proportion of men have fallen on hard times.




 What causes the feminization of poverty? 
According to my research 7 perceived causes were identified:

(1) Temporal dimension:

Women are often primarily responsible for childcare and household duties, for which they receive no pay for. Women often participate in “second shifts.” The term “second shift” refers to the unpaid labor that women participate in once they have completed their paid workday (labor force by day and domestic work by night). Some individuals have equated some women’s lack of income or lack or unpaid employment as a result of having to devote so much time to fulfill other responsibilities. Young children necessitate constant care and society has identified the mother (“in traditional families), rather than the father, as a person primarily responsible for the care of children, the mother either needs to forgo earnings to provide that care or, if she wishes to continue in paid employment, her returns from earning decline as she purchases care.


(2) Employment segmentation dimension:

Women have historically and naturally been classified as caretakers. Because of this, women have been pushed into specific lines of work and professions and clustered in “feminized” occupations. These include but are not limited to teaching, caring for children and the elderly, domestic servitude, and factory work. Women also continue to be subjected to discrimination through the hiring and promoting processes.


(3) Valuation dimension:

Despite the fact that some women work more than their counterparts, the unpaid labor that they perform is sometimes less valued than paid labor. That is, the unpaid labor that women perform in taking care of family members and other household chores is considered of far less worth than positions that require formal education or training.  

 (4) Increasing prevalence of female-headed household:

There have been many changes seen in today’s families. Many individuals are delaying the age in which they first marry. There has been a rise in divorce and separation among individuals. Because women are perceived as natural caregivers, women often take care of whatever children they may have. Furthermore, there has been decreasing amounts and awards of child support. There has been an increase in children born outside marriage. Women are also more likely to have higher life expectancies. Because more women are likely to live longer than men, their retirement income has to stretch over more years.


 (5) Lack of education:

Sometimes upward economic mobility through higher-skilled employment is not possible for women who lack high degrees of education. A majority of women are minimum wage workers. Women who are in charge of households may especially find it difficult to achieve higher education attainment if the must care for their children and work long hours, in hope of providing for their family.


(6) Discrimination:

 “The most urgent issue facing America is not the glass ceiling,

rather it is what she calls the sinking floor.”

Women may be subject to inequalities to wages and benefits. Despite President Kennedy’s Equal Pay Act in 1963, which made it illegal for women to be paid lower wages for comparable work, it still happens in work places today. Women earn approximately 77 cents for every dollar men make for comparable work. Women tend to go into lower paying professions and places that hire women are often part-tome, seasonal, and may lack benefits. Women’s earnings can make the different between a poverty level of income and an income level comfortably above the poverty line.



What about the racialization of the feminization of poverty?

Not only can poverty be feminized, it can also be racialized. Minority women face a double dose of discrimination, which can significantly affect their lives as well as their families. Minority women specifically, Black and Latina women are twice as likely as white women to be living in poverty


Why is it important to address the feminization of poverty?

Individuals on the outside looking in may think that feminization of poverty does not occur in the United States but feminization of poverty occurs all over the world. Our constitution defines men and women as equal. Some women have been able to obtain high positions of power and influence.

We have many resources but have yet to address and create policy that will decrease or eliminate this phenomenon. By allowing this to occur, we are potentially harming the health and well-being of generations to come. I am not certain of the direct steps we should take in dealing with this issue. I would argue that programs to eliminate or alleviate poverty requires attention to gender inequality and women’s human rights. Biases within households, labor markets, legal codes, and social and political systems should also be addressed.