
FEMINIZATION OF POVERTY Feminization of poverty is the social process in which the incidence of poverty among women becomes much higher than among men. Feminization of poverty is the Increasing female proportion of the population on low incomes or in poverty.
What are the reasons that caused the feminization of poverty?
What are the three major causes of the feminization of poverty?
- The temporal dimension. Women are often primarily responsible for childcare and household duties—tasks for which they receive no pay.
- The spatial dimension. When employment is sare, women may have to migrate to other areas to find work temporarily.
- The employment segmentation dimension.
- The valuation dimension.
What causes the feminization of poverty?
The ‘ feminization of poverty ’ was first noted by Diana Pearce in the late 1970s, and since that time, various scholars have examined trends in men's and women's poverty rates—and the ratio between them—in order to explore how economic status may be affected by gender. The underlying causes for women's poverty vary across countries but generally fall into one of three main categories—demographic composition, economic conditions, and government policy.
What does the term feminization of poverty mean?
The feminization of poverty is a change in the levels of poverty biased against women or female headed households. More specifically, it is an increase in the difference in the levels of poverty among women and men or among female versus male and couple headed households. Click to see full answer. In this way, what causes feminization of poverty?
What is the "feminization of poverty"?
Feminization of poverty refers to a trend of increasing inequality in living standards between men and women due to the widening gender gap in poverty. This phenomenon largely links to how women and children are disproportionately represented within the lower socioeconomic status community in comparison to men within the same socioeconomic status.

What is feminization of poverty in sociology quizlet?
The term "Feminization of poverty" refers to the fact that there is an increasing concentration of poverty among women, especially among unmarried women with children.
What are the main causes of feminization of poverty?
Causes of the feminization of poverty include the structure of family and household, employment, sexual violence, education, climate change, femonomics and health. The traditional stereotypes of women remain embedded in many cultures restricting income opportunities and community involvement for many women.
Why is it important to understand feminization of poverty?
Ending world poverty begins with women. Research and experience have shown that women in poor countries are more likely to spend their income on food, education, and health care for their children – a long-term investment that lifts entire families and communities out of poverty.
What is the feminization of poverty and how does divorce contribute to it?
Peterson is correct that rising divorce rates are responsible in part for the feminization of poverty, since divorce transforms a male- headed household into a female-headed household. The Census Bureau counts husband-wife families as male-headed regardless of the earnings or employment situation of the two spouses.
Who gave feminization of poverty?
The concept became renowned as a result of a study by Diane Pearce, which focused on the gender patterns in the evolution of poverty rates in the United States between the beginning of the 1950s and the mid-1970s.
Who coined the term feminization of poverty?
Dr. Diana PearceTo change the differential impact that poverty and inequality have on women and girls, social workers must collaborate with women leaders in other disciplines. The term “feminization of poverty” was coined in 1978 by social worker Dr. Diana Pearce.
What is feminization?
/ˌfemɪnɪˈzeɪʃən/ a process in which more and more women become involved in an activity where there are traditionally more men: The partial feminisation of the workplace has put work at the heart of modern relationships.
Which of the following statements describes the concept of feminization of poverty?
Which of the following most accurately describes the feminization of poverty? It refers to the disproportionate number of the poor who are women.
How does gender affect poverty?
Fact #3: The gap in poverty rates by sex are widest for women and men aged 25–34. Women are particularly vulnerable to poverty between ages 25 and 34, when they are most likely to have young children as shown globally in the figure. This observation holds across all three poverty thresholds and across regions.
How can feminization of poverty be reduced?
Ultimately, reducing women's poverty in industrialized countries requires the convergence of all three factors—demography, the market economy, and government policy—to better support women and their children.
Which statement about the feminization of poverty is false?
Which statement about the "feminization of poverty" is false? It has little relationship to gender segregation in the American workforce.
How is the feminization of poverty revealed in outcomes related to children?
How is the feminization of poverty revealed in outcomes related to children in families that have experienced divorce? in the sense that women are paid less than men and need financial support for raising children.
Which of the following most accurately describes feminization of poverty?
Which of the following most accurately describes the feminization of poverty? It refers to the disproportionate number of the poor who are women.
How can feminization of poverty be reduced?
Ultimately, reducing women's poverty in industrialized countries requires the convergence of all three factors—demography, the market economy, and government policy—to better support women and their children.
Which of the following is not one of the reasons for feminization of poverty?
Which of the following is NOT a cause of the feminization of poverty? the movement of individuals and groups between class positions.
How does gender affect poverty?
Fact #3: The gap in poverty rates by sex are widest for women and men aged 25–34. Women are particularly vulnerable to poverty between ages 25 and 34, when they are most likely to have young children as shown globally in the figure. This observation holds across all three poverty thresholds and across regions.
When was the feminization of poverty popularized?
Feminization of Poverty. The ‘ Feminization of poverty’ was noted by Diana Pearce in the late 1970s. It was popularized, though, by the United Nations in the 1990s. Women experience poverty at rates that are disproportionately higher than that of men.
How many women live in poverty?
70% of the people living in poverty are women. There are 1.5 billion women all across the world who live on $1 per day or even less. The World Health Organization (WHO) regards huge levels of poverty to be the world’s most ruthless killer. This issue is important since it can trap the future generations in the vicious circle of poverty if it is allowed to perpetuate.
What does feminists argue about equality?
They argue that the existing position of men and women is not the same and that equality in its usual sense can never help nurture the equality that we intend to have.
What are the effects of male mortality on women?
Higher male mortality- Male mortality increases the burden of women in taking care of their children. This leads to only one person taking care of the family which eventually pushes the woman into poverty. Barriers to education- Many girls still dream of going to school.
Why don't women have priority?
Women can’t access resources or services that can help better their condition due to their trapping in the cycle of poverty.
Is poverty a relative concept?
Relativity of the concept: This is a relative concept and it could occur even due to poverty in men being decreased at a higher rate while that of women being decreased at a slower rate since this could widen the gaps as well.
What are gender theorists' responses to these inequities?
For instance, Charlotte Bunch has argued that the traditional notion of human rights is incomplete because it does not universally encompass women’s rights. In many societies legal protections are not extended to women in the private sphere, such as protection against domestic violence. Other feminists, especially postmodern and Third World feminists have recognized the gap between the guarantee of procedural rights and the inequity of social outcomes for men and women. They have argued that the Enlightenment notion of human rights is inherently flawed, in that it assumes that the bearer of rights is an independent, white, male property-owner. At its inception and ever since, this notion of rights has operated only in the public sphere for the benefit of men, and has not been extended to guarantee the political, economic, and social rights of women. Even countries that champion human rights still fail to recognize the necessity of protecting women’s rights, as is seen in the United States’ failure to ratify the United Nations Convention on Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) enacted in 1981. Moreover one could argue that, the insistence by Westerners on imposing their notions of human rights on nations whose cultures do not value individualism, capital and property accumulation, and competition, or share Western ideas of gender and family relations, is a type of cultural imperialism. Responding to these cautions against cultural imperialism, Martha Nussbaum and Amartya Sen have proposed a capabilities approach to development and rights issues. Nussbaum and Sen argue that there are certain characteristic activities of human beings – capabilities – that can provide a basis for determining what is just in the distribution of resources. These include, among other capabilities, the ability to live out a normal span of life, to have good health, food, shelter, the ability to move around at will, to be educated and to participate in political life, to have choice in reproductive matters and to have sexual and other forms of life-enhancing pleasure, and to avoid unnecessary pain. These capabilities as articulated by Nussbaum and Sen strongly resemble the rights outlined in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights which ground many international and local development schemes. They also parallel the work of Johan Galtung and his concept of structural violence which articulates that violence is not merely the direct physical attack but can also come from institutional inequalities. What might seem basic needs to some is to others a potential trip-wire for cultural imperialism. For example there are arguments about whether the capabilities or rights represent a false, and thus unacceptable, essentialism or universalism. This debate is at the center of academic and policy discussions about development and aid for ameliorating the condition of women and children worldwide.
What are the consequences of the use of categories of gender?
Worldwide, the consequences of the use of categories of gender to create hierarchies of political and economic power can be seen in the material conditions of women and children. In the United States, the feminization of poverty – the increasing tendency for those in poverty to be primarily women and their children – has been documented over ...
What are the causes of homelessness?
There are five common sources of homelessness: (1) rising unemployment, (2) a decrease in the number of wage opportunities, (3) gentrification of the city and increased cost of housing, (4) deinstitutionalization of mentally ill patients from supervised care, and (5) feminization of poverty. For the unexpected homeless population, there is a sixth cause described previously – artificial inflation of the housing market.
What is lone motherhood?
Influenced by frameworks such as the ‘Culture of Poverty’ thesis of the US anthropologist Oscar Lewis, dating from the 1960s, lone motherhood is also regarded as perpetuating a long-term ‘vicious circle’ of downward mobility and family instability.
Why are women's roles changing?
Expansion and change of women’s roles in societies across the world are in response to the social and economic changes of the communities in which they live. For example, multiple cohorts of aging women are currently, and will continue to be, faced with working longer than ever before due to declining economies and increasingly scarce financial resources accumulated over time (eg, concept of “feminization of poverty;” Minkler & Stone, 1985 ). This elongation of workforce participation translates into the elongation of life roles for aging women.
What are the factors that affect life satisfaction in older adults?
One of the two significant factors predicting life satisfaction for older adults is (i) financial security, older cohorts of women in many different societies are at a potential financial disadvantage because of disrupted workforce participation patterns due to caregiving responsibilities and (ii) other social restrictions on women’s roles in the workplace and society ( Marson & Sabatino, 2012). The concept of “feminization of poverty” (Minkler & Stone, 1985) relates to this idea of gender-related financial vulnerability for women. Disparities in wage gap regarding earnings between men and women over many generations also has been cited as contributing to aging women’s relative financial insecurity.
What is the third source of homelessness?
The third source of homelessness, the gentrification of the city , stems from the diminishing availability of affordable housing in central urban areas. Gentrification involves the purchase and restoration of older residences by middle-income earners, landlords, and developers.
What is feminization of poverty?
Feminization of poverty is the social process in which the incidence of poverty among women becomes much higher than among men. The feminization of poverty is a relative concept based on a women-men comparison. Feminization of poverty is the Increasing female proportion of the population on low incomes or in poverty. If poverty in a society is distinctly reduced among men and is only slightly reduced among women, there would be a feminization of poverty. Feminization of Poverty describes a phenomenon in which women represent disproportionate percentages of the world's poor. Feminization of Poverty is the burden of poverty borne by women, especially in developing countries. This feminization of poverty concept is not only a consequence of lack of income, but is also the result of the deprivation of capabilities and gender biases present in both societies and governments. This includes the poverty of choices and opportunities, such as the ability to lead a long, healthy, and creative life, and enjoy basic rights like freedom, respect, and dignity.
Why is feminization of poverty controversial?
Women's increasing share of poverty is related to the rising incidence of lone mother households. The term feminization of poverty itself is controversial and has been defined in many different ways. In 1978, Diana Pearce coined the term, "the feminization of poverty" after doing much research and seeing how many women struggled with poverty within the United States, as well as globally.
What are the factors that contribute to the feminization of poverty?
The Feminization of Poverty in the United States - Gender, Race, Ethnicity , and Family Factors. Marjorie E. Starrels, Univ of Michigan, Sally Bould, Univ of Delaware, Leon J. Nicholas, Bates College. This article details the contribution of gender, race, ethnicity, marital, and parental status to the feminization of poverty. It suggests that gender, race, and ethnicity strongly affect poverty rates. The authors articulate clearly the forces that have generated rapid feminization of poverty. The analysis takes into account a range of factors that have contributed significantly to feminization of poverty. - Journal of Family Issues, Vol. 15, No. 4, (1994).
How does poverty affect children?
Juvenilization of poverty or poverty in childhood is damaging: to children, to their life chances and to communities. Research has shown that family income impacts on children's lives and development in a variety of ways. Living on a low-income increases parents’ stress levels, in turn affecting relationships and family dynamics.
What is feminist political discourse?
FEMINIST POLITICAL DISCOURSES: Radical Versus Liberal Approaches to the Feminization of Poverty and Comparable Worth - JOHANNA BRENNER. Feminist campaigns concerning feminization of poverty and comparable worth are analyzed in terms of their major policy goals and the arguments typically used to justify those goals.
What is feminization in psychology?
Feminization has two basic meanings. The first concerns a person who was not initially feminine but becomes feminine later in their life through the perceptions of both the individual and those around them.
What is the definition of feminism in education?
Feminization of education – Majority female teachers, a female majority of students in higher education and a curriculum which is better suited to the learning process of women.
What is the shift in gender roles and sex roles in a society, group, or organization towards a?
In sociology, feminization is the shift in gender roles and sex roles in a society, group, or organization towards a focus upon the feminine. It can also mean the incorporation of women into a group or a profession that was once dominated by men.
Why are women more likely to live below the poverty line than men?
Women are more likely than men to live below the poverty line, a phenomenon known as the feminization of poverty . The 2015 poverty rates for men and women in the U.S. were 10% and 15% respectively. Women are less likely to pursue advanced degrees and tend to have low paying jobs. There is a gender pay gap: even with the same level of education and occupational role, women earn much less than men, whether due to discrimination or to differences in choices.
Is feminism a part of the labor force?
Feminization of the labor force in present-day associations is inescapable in that females make up half of the labor force and the revelation of them as a potential profitable asset. Post-war, there have been considerable advances in balancing the workforce when comparing women and men's job status and pay rates in the North America and Europe economies.
What is the phenomenon of feminization of poverty?
The “feminization of poverty” refers to the phenomenon that women and children are disproportionately represented among the world’s poor compared to men.
Who coined the term "feminization of poverty"?
This persistent pattern of economic inequality led American sociologist Diana Pearce to coin the term the feminization of poverty, after documenting how, over time, women and children have become disproportionately represented among the population of low-income individuals in the United States and globally.
Do women have higher poverty rates than men?
In almost all societies, women have higher poverty rates than men (Casper et al. 1994 ); in fact, among the 1.5 billion people living on 1 dollar or less a day, the majority are women and children (United Nations 2015 ).

Overview
Feminization of poverty
Women are more likely than men to live below the poverty line, a phenomenon known as the feminization of poverty. The 2015 poverty rates for men and women in the U.S. were 10% and 15% respectively. Women are less likely to pursue advanced degrees and tend to have low paying jobs. There is a gender pay gap: even with the same level of education and occupational role, women earn much less than men, whether due to discrimination or to differences in choices.
Examples of feminization in society
• Feminization of education – Majority female teachers, a female majority of students in higher education and a curriculum which is better suited to the learning process of women.
• Feminization of the workplace – Lower paying female-dominated occupations such as (1) food preparation, food-serving and other food-related occupations, and (2) personal care and service.
Definition of feminization
Feminization has two basic meanings. The first concerns a person who was not initially feminine but becomes feminine later in their life through the perceptions of both the individual and those around them. According to gender theorist Judith Butler, a person's gender is not solely an act of will or self-description, as it is also shaped by the people who describe, categorize, and treat the person …
Feminization of the labor force
Feminization of the labor force in present-day associations is inescapable in that females make up half of the labor force and the revelation of them as a potential profitable asset. Post-war, there have been considerable advances in balancing the workforce when comparing women and men's job status and pay rates in the North America and Europe economies.