The trend of the Feminization of Poverty is not new throughout the world. It is however a new trend in America. Feminization of Poverty simply means that a larger number of people in poverty are women. The gap between women and men in poverty has continued to grow in the past decade. Reasons for this increasing gap come from many different levels of our society.

The majority of the 1.5 billion people living on $1 dollar a day or less are women. Through out the world women earn just above fifty cents on every man's dollar. This proves that even in a working society that women are oppressed and rewarded less for their efforts. This impact of this difference becomes stronger as income decreases. As women approach poverty they are denied critical items such as land, housing, and credit. This denial comes sooner f

or women than men because on average they are earning less. This creates a poverty cycle nearly impossible to escape.

Governments throughout the world have recognized the gender dimension of poverty. This has lead to implementation of politics to help eradicate this problem. Unfortunately it is difficult if not impossible to change the views and actions of an entire society. Even at the level of the family, a smaller amount of reward is given to women than to men. This seems to radiate out into society and creates gender inequality.

Once education is implemented economics needs to be looked at. Businesses should be fined for paying women less than a man to do the same job. Laws are currently in place to prevent this from occurring but enforcement is the key. Also financing needs to be looked at. Governments are now offering small business loans aimed specifically at women. Business opportunities coupled with education can create independence and wealth for women currently struggling in poverty.

Factors that have lead to the increasing gender dimension in poverty stem from the changes to the institution of the family. In America the current divorce rate ids slightly above 50%. This has increased dramatically over the last decade. The resulting family coming out of a divorce tends to be a single mother and her dependant children. This created a group of women who were forced to rely on themselves to support their familie

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Approximate Word count = 977
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)