Feminisation of Poverty in Contemporary Societies: Understanding Gendered Economic Marginalisation
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18099732Keywords:
Development policy, Economic inequality, Feminisation of poverty, Gender inequality, Globalisation, Social protection, Women empowermentAbstract
The feminisation of poverty has emerged as one of the major social phenomena of modern societies, due to the patriarchal and persisting gender inequalities in the economic, social and political structures. This review takes a closer look at the conceptual basis, gendered aspects, structural causes, global patterns, consequences and policy responses on women's economic marginalisation. Drawing on sociological and development literature, the article draws attention to the ways in which inequalities in the labour market, unpaid care work, educational disparities and limited access to productive resources systematically disadvantage women and increase their vulnerability to poverty. The analysis demonstrates that women are overrepresented when it comes to global poverty and are more likely to be affected by poverty in more severe and chronic forms than men. The consequences of this gendered poverty have ramifications across generations and impact on health, education, social inclusion and development outcomes in general. The review further examines the ways by which patriarchal institutions, policy frameworks and global economic transformations help to perpetuate the economic insecurity of women, whilst identifying successful policy interventions that could help to reduce gendered poverty. The findings highlight the importance of ensuring poverty elimination is put at the centre of development strategies and the implementation of development policies which are inclusive and women-centred in order to address both material deprivation and structural inequality.
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