Why women stay poor: An examination of urban poverty in India

Abstract

In this paper the relationship of women to poverty in urban areas is explored and the need to understand the gender dimension of poverty in a specific cultural context is emphasised. In recent years there has been an increasing trend to incorporate the gender dimension in the analysis of poverty. The féminisation of poverty is a term used to describe the overwhelming representation of women among the poor. The present study examines the gender bias of poverty which underlies the social and economic subordination of women and the effects of gender on access to basic amenities such as education, health care and labour force participation. The 1996 World Bank publication, Poverty Reduction and the World Bank, identified three components to urban poverty: 1) provision of basic services such as water, sanitation, drainage and roads; 2) taking action on the top threats to health (lead, dust and microbial diseases); 3) making municipal finance more businesslike and inclusive. While these are commendable objectives, the problems of urban poverty for women can be examined in a qualitative way from the point view of how these goals are absorbed into the social and cultural surroundings of the urban poor. Why women are more vulnerable to poverty will be considered here and how the causes and experience of poverty differ by gender are determined, followed by some remarks on how to alleviate women's poverty.