4.2.1 The gendered nature of poverty
4.2.1 The gendered nature of poverty
In all societies, there are four basic institutional arenas - the market, state, community and the household. Each arena is characterised by specific rules, norms and practices which determine structures of entitlements and disentitlements for individuals and groups of individuals. There has been a pervasive failure to ground training policies and practices for women on a sound understanding of these institutional processes. More innovative training, especially in 'non-traditional areas,' has frequently failed to achieve significant and sustainable impacts precisely because it challenges "the norms of gender propriety which constitutes a risk which poorer households are unwilling to take on" (Kabeer, 1997:5). The focus of most training on productivity has 'redistributive connotations' that are threatening to gender relations.
Poor women are already "hemmed in by a complex bundle of risks" which seriously limits their degree of individual 'agency' with respect to most decisions that affect their own well being and that of their children and other household members. However, as far as training is concerned, the degree of female agency varies very considerably between regions and countries. It is especially limited in the 'patriarchal belt' that stretches across North Africa, the Middle and Near East and South Asia. The 'invisibility' of women in these regions is acute. But is also the case that nearly one-third of households in the developing world as a whole are female-headed. While women in these households are much freer to decide what education and training is desirable for themselves and their dependants, higher levels of poverty in this type of household may prevent women from availing themselves of training opportunities.(10)
EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING
PAPERS
43
Learning to change: Skills
development among the
economically vulnerable and
socially excluded in
developing countries
Paul Bennell
Employment and Training Department
International Labour Office Geneva
First published 1999
421 The gendered nature of poverty - To learn more about this author, visit International Labour Organization's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
Over two thirds of those living in absolute poverty are women (UNDP, 1998). As noted earlier, women are very heavily concentrated in the most marginal survival enterprises (often working at home) and in wage employment in secondary labour markets that are characterised by low skills and high turnover. In Sub-Saharan Africa, they also undertake the bulk of agricultural production. The 'training crisis' is, therefore, overwhelmingly linked to the economic and social vulnerability of women and particularly the multiple constraints that prevent them from exploiting training opportunities.
In all societies, there are four basic institutional arenas - the market, state, community and the household. Each arena is characterised by specific rules, norms and practices which determine structures of entitlements and disentitlements for individuals and groups of individuals. There has been a pervasive failure to ground training policies and practices for women on a sound understanding of these institutional processes. More innovative training, especially in 'non-traditional areas,' has frequently failed to achieve significant and sustainable impacts precisely because it challenges "the norms of gender propriety which constitutes a risk which poorer households are unwilling to take on" (Kabeer, 1997:5). The focus of most training on productivity has 'redistributive connotations' that are threatening to gender relations.
Poor women are already "hemmed in by a complex bundle of risks" which seriously limits their degree of individual 'agency' with respect to most decisions that affect their own well being and that of their children and other household members. However, as far as training is concerned, the degree of female agency varies very considerably between regions and countries. It is especially limited in the 'patriarchal belt' that stretches across North Africa, the Middle and Near East and South Asia. The 'invisibility' of women in these regions is acute. But is also the case that nearly one-third of households in the developing world as a whole are female-headed. While women in these households are much freer to decide what education and training is desirable for themselves and their dependants, higher levels of poverty in this type of household may prevent women from availing themselves of training opportunities.(10)
EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING
PAPERS
43
Learning to change: Skills
development among the
economically vulnerable and
socially excluded in
developing countries
Paul Bennell
Employment and Training Department
International Labour Office Geneva
First published 1999
421 The gendered nature of poverty - To learn more about this author, visit International Labour Organization's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
 | |
 |
No article feedback found. |
| |
Leave Your Feedback |
 | |
| |||
|
To learn more about the Evan Elite Author Program please contact us. |
 | |
|  |
Subscribe to International's articles
 | |
|
|  |
 | |
|
| |
 | ||
 |
||
 |
||
 |
||
|
| ||
 |
| Have you written articles that would be of value to entrepreneurs? Become an expert on our site by publishing them! Expose yourself to a wide audience, drive more traffic to your website and get more sales! Click Here for details. |
|
|
 |
| Modeling the Masters: Learn the true secrets behind Walt Disney's business success factors & grow your company! Video produced by Phanta Media |
|
|
 |
"Learn straight from Evan how you can Make a Full Time Income (And More) from a Website"
Click Here To Learn More |
|
|
|
|
Get advice & tips from famous business owners, new articles by entrepreneur experts, my latest website updates, & special sneak peaks at what's to come!
|
|
 |
 Why Banks Say No eguide Best Cover Letter Zero Based Budgeting Articles Drive Traffic 10 Questions for your sales rep |
|
 | ||
 |
Top 50 Marketing Blogs
Top Marketing Blogs of 2010 | |
 |
Fortune Hunters
CBC Entrepreneur TV | |
| ||
 | ||||
| ||||
|
| ||||
| ||||
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||
|
Email us your ideas on how to make our website more valuable! Thank you Sharon from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for your suggestions to make the newsletter look like the website and profile younger entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez and Sean Combs!
|
|
|
| ||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||