Gender and Development

The multidimensional features of poverty allow scholars to interpret the segregation from the various angles, and narrow it down into four approaches: economic perspectives, capabilities theory, social exclusion and participative approach (Steward et al 2003). The first approach or income capacity is the most commonly used and easily measured. Having lack of financial resources eliminates people access to the basic needs, such as: food, shelters, clothes and so forth. However, a capabilities theory pioneer, Amartya Sen (Brighouse et al, 2010, p.3) argues that economic reason cannot be used as the single measurement to justify the cause of poverty. Sen (2010) believes that an individual has to be equipped with sufficient capacity to prepare them to be independent and capable to meet life basic needs, which at the end will serve as the weapon to fight against poverty. The third approach is the social exclusionists who view poverty from the absence of individual participation in the community as the result of social marginalisation. In the participatory approach, Dessarrolo (2004) combined scholar’s perspective over the notion of participation as “the poor define poverty based on their own analysis of their reality, by including aspects they consider to be significant. (Stewart et al, 2003).
There have been increasing numbers of poor women in the world who dominate the total world population, particularly in Asia and Sub-Saharan regions (United Nations, 1996, p. 37). They are often marginalised and discriminated upon; the situation which partially occurred due to the traditional patriarchal system in the developing countries, and also forced by the modernisation. The combination of both factors has resulted in the women’s discrimination and poverty. However, in recent years in order to support their families with additional income women participate in the labour market. It does not help them to get out of the poverty, yet lead to the feminisation of poverty