Women Feminization Of Poverty

Poverty Faming Interlinkages

Globally, women are estimated to constitute the world’s poor people and receive diminutive wages and salaries for their labour. This is attested by Leghorn and Parker (1991) who argue that women’s labour is one-third of the world 's formal labour force and they do four fifths of all informal work, but receive only ten percent of the world 's income and own less than one percent of the world’s possessions. The situation of women described above is termed the “feminization of poverty” in recognition of women 's increasing share of global poverty (Glazebrook, 2011 p.764).

The feminization of poverty espoused by Glazebrook is corroborated by the World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED) report of 1987,

The rural northeast Ghanaian women engage in peasant forms of farming as their main economic activity with the exclusive responsibility for the daily subsistence needs of their households. Thus, women have become tied down to the daily struggle of survival and in most instances they head households in disguise solely relying on peasant farming. Their responsibilities as “bread winners” for their families, obligate them to engage in peasant farming against the backdrop of constraining factors including lack of access to strategic resources and limited access to farm lands as their major source of

First is the high female participation combined with low technology, second hired labour and cultural proscriptions on women’s work outside the home; and, third sharing of farm work between women and men with intensive cultivation. Though this classification helps to emphasize women’s role in farming, women roles are broader than classification as posited by Apusigah above. The rural northeast woman’s role is evident in the first category while third category is outside of the role of women. The second categorization is applicable and aligns with women’s labour and their roles and contribution on farms framed as appreciation instead of being recognized as work.

Apusigah (2009) and Ellis (2000) both conclude that gender inequalities are evident in the farming practices among women in the global South. They further note that women’s efforts in farming is not accompanied by ownership and control of land or by decision making capabilities, all of which are firmly rooted within male domains. This conclusion drawn by both authors is the reality of the northeast woman farmer, she is multitasked and plays no active role in decision making on farming or other social