Feminization Of Poverty

The feminization of poverty is the theory that it is easier for women to fall into poverty and harder for them to climb out of it. Forty-three percent of households headed by single mothers are living in poverty in the United States. In the United States, whether or not you are considered impoverished depends on your annual income and the number of people in your household. For example a one person household with an annual income of less than $11,770 would be considered to be living in poverty. A five person household however would be considered impoverished if the annual income was less than $28,410. The functionalist theory gives a logical reason as to why women have become dependent on men in the past, and now why single women can not provide for themselves. In preindustrial times, it was logical for different roles to be handed out to whomever would be more efficient at the task. It was better for the woman to stay at home to take care of the dependent children. So naturally they would also take on the
tasks at around the home, since they were at the house anyway. The man would therefore go out and hunt and bring home food. The woman then became dependent on the man to provide for her. The functionalist theory does not however explain why women still have a higher rate of living in poverty today when left without a man to help provide. The conflict theory states that men dominate women because of their control of key resources.
A consequence of this is men taking advantage of women. Men gain more control and have a greater advantage in economic, political, and social power, by overpowering women. As long as men are the dominating group and they benefit from it, they will not want to change it. This makes the inequality last much longer than what might have been useful at the time. Gender inequality is a big reason why it is easier for women to fall into poverty and harder for them to get out of it. Although gender inequalities might have developed because they were functional, they are increasingly becoming more and more dysfunctional. In 2015, women make 78 cents for every dollar earned by a man. Only 26 percent of people employed in computer and mathematical occupations are women. Friedrich Engels believed the only way to free women from gender inequality is through a socialistic
society.
Some may not be aware of the fact that almost one hundred years after women received the right to vote, gender inequality is still a problem in our society. Because of this men still hold the most power and high paying jobs in our society. This has led to women, without the help of a man provide, becoming impoverished. Hopefully one day soon women will be able to be completely independent without fear of not being able to provide for themselves or their family.