Reducing the Disproportionate Impact of Poverty on Women

Transcription

1 Reducing the Disproportionate Impact of Poverty on Women Forum: Human Rights Council II Student Officer: Jennifer Cho, President Introduction According to the United Nations, more than one billion people, the majority of whom are women, around the world live in unacceptable conditions due to poverty, especially in the developing countries. In general, poverty rates are higher for women than men, and women are poorer than men in all racial and ethnic groups. A report released by Center for American Progress indicates that 26.5 percent of African American women are poor compared to 22.3 percent of African American men; 23.6 percent of Hispanic women compared to 19.6 percent of Hispanic men; 10.7 percent of Asian women compared to 9.7 percent of Asian men; and 11.6 percent of white women compared to 9.4 percent of white men. Poverty rates for men and women are comparable during childhood; however, disparities are shown during their childbearing years and in old age. Poverty is known to have numerous causes, related to economics, politics, and society, as it is a complex multidimensional problem. It has various manifestations: unsafe environment; homelessness and inadequate housing; lack of income and sufficient resources for sustainable livelihood; limited or lack of access to education and other essential services; hunger and malnutrition; ill health; increasing morbidity and mortality from illness; and social discrimination and exclusion. The most common contributing factor is an unequal wage. Women are segregated into low paying jobs, and occupations dominated by women are low paid. Meanwhile, the situation is not so different even if they work the same with the same qualifications; women are paid less than men. In average, women working full time can earn only 77 percent of what men earn. Moreover, unplanned or mistimed pregnancies are known to affect women s work and educational opportunities. The gender inequalities in economic power-sharing are a significant contributing factor to the poverty of women. While consequent changes in family structures and society have placed additional burdens on women, the policies have not changed to reflect the changes. They tend to

2 hinder the initiatives of women and fail to consider the differential effect on women and men; therefore, it is critical to poverty reduction strategies to apply a gender analysis to a wide range of policies and programs. Poverty is also characterized by a lack of participation in decision making in society. Hence, in order to eradicate poverty, both women and men should participate fully and equally in the formulation of economics and social policies and strategies for the eradication of poverty. Background While all nations have some level of gender inequality, it is particularly noticeable in developing countries. There is a relationship between gender inequality and extreme poverty. Although the direction of causation is unclear, countries with more gender inequality generally have higher extreme poverty rates than countries with more gender equality. The graph suggests that it is important to consider gender inequality in poverty contexts as two frequently co-occur. Even though understanding a direct relationship is difficult, there are vital links between the two as mentioned in the earlier section. Time Poverty and Overall Work Burdens According to the United Nations Statistics Division, women globally spend at least twice as much time in unpaid domestic work as men, and the disparity is much greater in many developing countries. Women work considerably more hours than men because of the greater burden of paid work and unpaid household responsibilities. Lack of time, time poor, affects both the current wellbeing and the future opportunities of women by limiting their ability to spend time expanding their competences through education. Within a family, time allocation tensions can also result in sacrificing the education of daughters as they are expected to perform household tasks, which create a cycle. Hence, women slide further into poverty and have less time to invest in activities, yielding economic returns. Limitations in Access to Productive Resources and Assets Access to productive resources and assets determines the livelihoods of poor women. In many countries, especially in developing countries, women hold far less physical assets such as land, house, agricultural equipment, large livestock, and vehicles. They also have low access to financial instruments, vital for poverty reduction. These factors induce asset deficits and limit their ability to break the cycle of poverty. A homeless woman prepares food under a bridge in Jammu, India Gender-Based Violence (GBV) In general, poor women are more vulnerable to GBV since they live in uncertain and haphazard conditions. Women are put at risk for violence and sexual assault when traveling long distances

3 for water, food, and firewood in relatively isolated areas. Due to unfair cultural norms or limited local capacity to enforce laws and protect citizens, cases of daily violence and rape are preserved. Violence is known to affect low enrollment, absenteeism, and high drop-out rates, influencing future opportunities. Intimate partner violence (IPV) within a family is also associated with poverty. It impacts women s physical and mental health, resulting in the risk of chronic illness, depression, HIV/AIDS, and substance abuse. These effects contribute to low income and limited economics capability. Child, Early and Forced Marriage (CEFM) CEFM is concentrated in the poor households within the world s poorest countries. Females living in poor households are much more likely to marry young as families see marriage as a way to reduce their economic burden. CEFM increases vulnerability to GBV and results in partial education, increased fertility rates, and a higher risk of maternal mortality or other health issues. These factors limit their abilities to shape their futures and move out of poverty. International Actions United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women Conferences within the UN have been held to address the issue and guide governments for actions for equality. A guideline for governments has been penned, urging to review, adopt and maintain policies and development strategies addressing the needs and efforts of women in poverty; revise laws and administrative practices to ensure women s equal rights and access to economic resources; provide women with access to savings and credit mechanisms and institutions; and develop gender-based methodologies and conduct research to address the feminization of poverty. Places of High Concern Sub-Saharan Africa Even though there are essential differences in the condition of women in the various countries, they share a common predicament, resulted by three major factors: weak governance, traditional restrictions on women property rights, and violent civil conflict. Unlike other countries, Sub-Saharan Africa presents all three factors at once, and it has brought severe negative influences on the condition and status of women in this region. Since the 1990s, the proportion of poor Africans has declined; however, the absolute number of the poor has increased from under 300 million to over 400 million. Map of Sub-Saharan Africa

4 Stance of the P5 Nations: United States of America The UN has identified the US as having the second highest rate of poverty among world s richest countries. Even though women in America are still 35 percent more likely to be poor than men in America, the legal momentum has recognized a problem and focuses on alleviating poverty among women. However, according to the UN under the Trump administration, the problem has been exacerbated. Tax cuts has overwhelmingly benefited the wealthy and worsened inequality, and Trump s policies seem deliberately designed to remove the basic protections from the poorest, punish those who are not in employment and make even basic health care into a privilege to be earned rather than a right of citizenship. United Kingdom The UK government has recently decided welfare cuts, and due to the reduction, more families have put into poverty. In the process of decreasing welfare, women were disproportionately affected. Some people recognize the negative impacts on women; however, the government has not changed any decision nor showed formal position regarding the rising issue. France France is not only focusing on the disproportionate impact of poverty on women but also any form of discrimination against women as it considers discrimination hinders sustainable and inclusive development. France has implemented the 1979 Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the 1995 Beijing World Conference on Women. France has also actively contributed to the adoption and implementation of Security Council resolutions on women in the United Nations. China Even though China hosted the Fourth World Conference on Women in 1995, producing the Beijing Platform for Action, which is a document outlining concrete measures to achieve gender equality worldwide, China s authorities are actively preventing women s ability to act to achieve their goals. They officially state that non-mothers will be society s leftover to encourage women to prioritize domestic realm over their careers. Moreover, the income gap between men and women has grown, and retirement age is also different for men and women: women s retirement age is between 50 and 55 while men s retirement age is 60. Russian Federation Gender discrimination is widespread in current Russian society. Even though the Russia Federation has adopted official policy of equality, Russian authorities do not prohibit discrimination not create the conditions for equality between men and women. In face, most legislators at both the federal and regional levels view the protection of women as social protection of motherhood and reproductive rights rather than the advancement of women and provision of equal opportunities. Women in Russia does not only face difficulties searching for a job, but also receive only 60 percent of men s income.

5 Possible Solutions: Educating Women to Reduce Extreme Poverty United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has approached to solve the problem in an educational aspect. The plan includes protecting girls in crisis and conflict environment for better access to schools; lowering social, cultural, and time barriers to access to schools; training teachers to promote positive gender norms and safe learning spaces. Even though education does not ensure equal treatment in the classroom nor equal educational achievements and career opportunities, it is a significant first step. Studies state that high levels of education improve women s chances of entering the labor market and that education reduces gender gaps in earnings among those who are employed. Improving Women s Reproductive Health Decreasing high risk or frequent pregnancies improves both maternal and child mortality and morbidity, gradually increasing the overall health and education of women and their children. Zambia and Uganda have reduced the maternal mortality rate by strengthening existing health networks, ensuring that health facilities are well supplied, and providing birth attendants with training and mentoring, which simultaneously increased income-generating activities. Glossary Poverty: the inability to meet basic consumption needs on a sustainable basis Sub-Saharan Africa: Sub-Saharan Africa includes 46 out of 54 Africa countries, excluding Algeria, Djibouti, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Somalia, Sudan, and Tunisia.

6 Sources Cawthorne, Alexandra. The Straight Facts on Women in Poverty. Center for American Progress, Do Women Have Equal Rights with Men in Russia? Human Rights House Foundation, 6 Mar. 2007, humanrightshouse.org/articles/do-women-have-equal-rights-with-men-in-russia/. Facts and Figures: Economic Empowerment. UN Women, Fourth World Conference on Women, Beijing United Nations, United Nations, In Focus: Women and Poverty. UN Women The Beijing Platform for Action Turns 20, beijing20.unwomen.org/en/in-focus/poverty. Kinkade, Lynda. America's Poor Becoming More Destitute under Trump, UN Report Says. CNN, Cable News Network, 22 June 2018, edition.cnn.com/2018/06/22/us/america-poverty-un-report. Ministère de l'europe et des Affaires étrangères. France's Actions for Women's Rights and Equality. France Diplomatie : : Ministère De L'Europe Et Des Affaires É trangères, Otis, Eileen. Inequality in China and the Impact on Women's Rights. The Conversation, The Conversation, 10 Jan. 2019, theconversation.com/inequality-in-china-and-the-impact-onwomens-rights Sánchez-Páramo, Carolina. No, 70% of the World's Poor Aren't Women, but That Doesn't Mean Poverty Isn't Sexist. Jobs and Development, 12 Mar. 2018, blogs.worldbank.org/developmenttalk/no-70-world-s-poor-aren-t-women-doesn-t-meanpoverty-isn-t-sexist. Women and Poverty in America. Jenson v. Eveleth Taconite Co. Legal Momentum,