Modeling impacts on socio-economic indicators, food security and poverty of gender equality and women’s empowerment
1. Introduction
How might gender equality and women empowerment interact with growth, poverty reduction, and food security? The economic literature suggests that economic development is strongly associated to women’s status and role. The question is therefore: what are the possible mechanisms that could explain these linkages? Several channels have been explored in the literature.
This chapter sheds light on this issue in the specific context of sub-Saharan Africa. This is of particular interest as African countries seek to trigger a strongly virtuous cycle of growth, which translates into genuine poverty reduction and human development.
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It is structured as follows. The first section explores the economic cost of gender gaps and inequality on growth and poverty reduction, particularly women’s poverty. Section 2 looks at the impact of socio-economic indicators of gender equality and women’s empowerment. The last section examines the role of gender equality and women’s empowerment in creating a food secure …show more content…
The first is the rate of economic growth itself. The second factor is the extent of inequality. Inequality is not a final outcome of growth but plays a central role in determining the rate and pattern of growth. As well, growth may be associated with rising inequality, where inequality raises poverty. In the literature, several studies emphasize the importance of inequality in explaining how income growth may contribute to poverty reduction (Alesina and Rodrik, 1994; Bourguignon, 2003 ; Easterly, 2007 ; Ravallion, 1997). These studies clearly demonstrate that higher income inequality reduces the poverty impact of growth regardless of the poverty measures chosen. Conversely, lower initial income or asset inequality is empirically associated with higher economic growth coupled with higher poverty-reducing effects of such growth. Easterly (2007), testing the inequality hypothesis for institutional quality, openness, schooling, and other fundamental determinants of development, confirms these conclusions. He found high inequality to be a large and statistically significant hindrance to developing the mechanisms by which economic development is
Through the 20th century, the communist movement advocated greatly for women's’ rights. Despite this, women still struggled for equality.
Lang, C., Leong, T. G., & Consulting, C. L. (2004). Gender Analysis in Community Based Poverty Reduction: A Report on the Gender and Poverty Project. Status of Women Canada, 1-37.
From 1815 to 1850, our country was very divergent from today. Back then, Women had no rights nor did they have the same rights as men. Women and enslaved people had no rights to hold legal title to property. And unfortunately, all of a wife´s possessions belonged to her husband. But women were not the only ones who had no equal rights, African americans had no rights as well. Back in 1619, slavery began. African americans had no rights and neither did they have freedom. They were owned by people and some worked on farms for their whole entire life. Later throughout the years, both Women and African americans were fighting for their rights. Fortanully, as of today, Women and African Americans have equal rights just as everyone else. The U.S.
Poverty can be defined in many different ways. It is described as the state of being extremely poor. It is hunger, lack of shelter, lack of resources, decline in mental and physical health, not having a job, lack of power and representation. It is living one day at a time and fear of looking towards the future. Poverty is a significant threat to women’s equality. More women live in poverty than men, and women’s experience of poverty can be harsher, and more prolonged. Women are often left to bear more burden of poverty which results in the “feminization of poverty”. The goal of this paper is to identify key aspects of alleviating poverty specifically for women, by means of government assistance programs.
Moreover, economic independence challenges gender norms. The evidence from the text states “Women in this country are financially self-sufficient and active in the workforce.” This contradicts traditional roles where men have decision-making roles over finances. Economic self-determination empowers women, transcending gender barriers and fostering equality. Advocating for economic empowerment is a crucial factor in achieving gender
...ds & Gelleny, 2007). Moreover, the status of women is independent on policy adjustments in developing countries. Governments in developing countries should organize an economically and political stable environment, to be economically attractive (Maxfield, 1998 as cited in Richards & Gelleny, 2007). Other critics state governments are forced to cut expenditures in education and social programs. This phenomenon especially affects women (Ayres and McCalla, 1997, as cited in Richards & Gelleny, 2007). Since the public sector is one of the main employers of females, women are often the most disadvantaged by governmental efforts to cut expenditures in the public sector (Hemmati and Gardiner, 2004, as cited in Richards & Gelleny, 2007). As a result, women will become unemployed and unable to expanded education among themselves or their children. (Richards & Gelleny, 2007)
Poverty and income inequality are issues affecting a majority of people around the different parts of the globe. These issues exist and are increasingly becoming a major concern in both developing and developed countries. The purpose of this paper is to show some of the causes and effects of income inequality and poverty in developing and developed countries. Income inequality varies especially by region, education and social standing and hence increasingly widening for so many years. In addition, a large group of people in the world have the inability to access high quality education, shelter, food, clothing and basic medicine. Business activities are an important factor in the economy and have the ability to aid in eradicating poverty through
Women make up 70% of the world’s 1.5 billion people living in absolute poverty, basically earning less than $2 USD a day. Women perform 66% of the world’s work, produce 50% of the food, but earn 10% of the income and own 1% of the property. (Unicef , “Gender Equality—The Big Picture,” 2007). There are 876 million illiterate adults and from that 2/3 of them are women (AIC Training Booklet “Women & Poverty” 2007). In the United States, the poverty rate is higher for women, 13.8% of females are poor compared to 11.1 % of men (US Census Bureau, 2007). Women today face many hardships and suffer throughout the world because of poverty and the multiple factors that contribute to it. The “Feminization of Poverty” is a multifaceted problem that does not only have a huge impact on women, but to their children and the society as a whole. This term describes a phenomenon in which women represent unequal percentages of the world’s poor. The UNIFEM describes it as “ the burden of poverty borne by women, especially in developing countries” (“Economic Empowerment, FIND YEAR). To me this definition explains how hard my single mother had to work for a job supporting my brothers and I. This concept is not only a result of low income, but it is also because of the disadvantages of opportunities and gender bias in society (Brady and Krall, 2008). The levels and conditions of poverty in situations affect the choices that a woman must make. These choices include healthy living and the quality of life that influences how a person enjoys being free. Women’s increase in the portion of poverty is related to the high rates of single mother households. All of these factors influence how the term feminization of poverty is controversial and has been defined i...
The economy creates systems of poverty for women in rural and developing nations. This is because the social construction of economic patriarchal systems fuels the deep connection between women and nature through three different aspects. First, economics is socially constructed as gendered and oppressive. Second, women have a special relationship with natural that can be examined in the evidence of women’s lack of autonomy in means of production that interlocks women and nature into continuous cycles of degradation and oppression. Third, these oppressive constructions create interlocking systems of poverty.
Åsa Löfström´s report analyses the connection between gender equality, economic growth and employment. If we want to find an answer on the first question (Whether female employment rate matters for GDP and GDP-growth), we should first...
The inequality of genders is a factor to the issue of poverty. Many nations are trying their best to fix the issue of gender inequality. Gender inequality is very visible in the primary and secondary levels of education in Ghana. The amount of boys always tends to outnumber the girls. Due to the fact that many women do not have any educational background, they either end up trading or get engaged in agriculture activity. In sub-Saharan Africa, women are barely recognized in issues that are non-agriculture. About 64% of women are mainly employed in the agriculture sector. The low employment level of women makes poverty a stronghold in the household of women. Women tend to not get enough income to support themselves and their families, especially when they are single parents or the man is unemployed. Women also tend to face low employment rates, and those with a good education, who have the chance of being employed, rarely get the opportunity. The women who are lucky enough to get employed are rarely promoted due to their
The program connects the poor through Self Help Group promoting institutions like NGOs, banks and other Micro financial Institutions. Bali Swain and Varghese 2010). It empowers women by giving them greater autonomy and independence in the family. With more financial resources, their bargaining power in the family also increases (Aghion and Morduch 2005), (Manser and Brown 1980), (Chiappori 1988, 1992), McElroy and (Horney 1981), Browning and (Chiappori 1998). In the context of South Asia and specifically India, women empowerment is more a process of challenging the existing norms and trying to improve the overall well being of women.
Economic growth is the most effective instrument for reducing poverty and enhancing the quality of life in developing countries. The benefits brought about from economic growth is strong growth and business opportunities enhance incentives. This may lead to the rise of a strong and growing group of entrepreneurs, which should generate pressure for enhanced administration. Strong economic growth therefore advances human development, which in turn promotes economic growth. But, under different conditions, comparative rates of development can have altogether different consequences for neediness, the occupation prospects of poor people and more extensive pointers of human development. The extent to which growth decreases neediness depends on the extent to which the poor take an interest in the growth process and share in its returns (Riley, G.
World Bank. Gender and Development Group. Gender Equality and the Millennium Development Goals. 4 April 2003
Gender empowerment is refers women’s and men’s ability to participate in economic and political life and their command over economics resources. Women who played determine role in development of humanity, incomplete without the empowerment of women. Women constitute approximately half of the world’s population so as half potential. Present scenario needs women-led development.