Researching Feminization of poverty was quite interesting. I read all the different opinions on the internet, the student forum and articles about it as well. As I feel strongly about the subject I had already formed my opinion about it. Coming from a not so great upcoming when I was young I always analyzed women’s actions and the reasons why most women my mother and the people she associated with were under the poverty line. I came up with three very specific reasons, one relation with men, two low self-esteem, and three uneducated. My mother actually possessed all three.
I have till the day I can remember have always observed women and their relationships with men and studied what I thought they did wrong and what I thought they did right. I would see my mom give in quickly to my father even though she was right in the situation and that caused rifts in the relationships that will ultimately jeopardize finances and in return cause many other issues in the household from having to budget and find different resources to accommodate the needs of what wasn’t being met at home. Even though that meant my mother going to churches for charity for clothes, shoes, gifts for holidays and rent assistance just to keep a couple of extra bucks in my father’s pocket.
Secondly, Self-esteem it seems kind of unruly but it definitely fits in to the equation if you think about it. Self-esteem stopped my mother and others she associated with to go out and seek better opportunities. Not having perfect teeth, suitable clothes, or being groomed a certain way can lower your self-esteem to the point where you doubt yourself in to being able to get that position which leads to settling for what you have and in return you do not better your life or are able to teach your children that you can achieve whatever your heart desires in life.
Lastly Education, my mother and others she knew did not have sufficient or any education to advance into any new positions