Compared to the rest of the Western world, the poverty gap between genders is widest in America; more than half of the 37 million poverty-stricken American citizens are women (Cawthorne). Simply put, poverty is the condition of being exceedingly poor. Why is it that women are consistently in this condition more so than men? While some may argue that discrimination against women doesn’t happen anymore, because of the pay gap, unpaid work, segregation into low-paying jobs, domestic violence, and of course, race and ethnics, women are more likely than men to live in poverty. All across the world, there are 1.2 billion people living in extreme poverty. Women make up 60 percent of those 1.2 billion people (Byer). In America, 1 in 3 women are in
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Women are more likely to be sexually violated if they are living in poverty and domestic and sexual violence are primary causes of poverty. Sometimes, this cause is overlooked or underrepresented because victims of rape or abuse can feel ashamed or frighted at the prospect of telling their stories (Intersection). Judith Lewis Herman, in her book Trauma and Recovery wrote “Traumatized people suffer damage to the basic structures of the self. They lose trust in themselves, in other people, in God...The identity they have formed prior to the trauma is irrevocably destroyed” (Herman). The U.S. Conference of Mayors took a census and found that of the cities polled, half of them pinpointed domestic or sexual violence as a primary cause of homelessness (Cawthorne). After a sexual assault, women can find their lives interrupted. Sexual or domestic violence can lead to physical and mental health problems, leaving women with the problem of paying medical bills, missing work or school, or becoming unemployed. American females have anywhere from a 50 percent to a 95 percent chance of developing post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, after being sexually, physically, or mentally abused
Women are more likely to be sexually violated if they are living in poverty and domestic and sexual violence are primary causes of poverty. Sometimes, this cause is overlooked or underrepresented because victims of rape or abuse can feel ashamed or frighted at the prospect of telling their stories (Intersection). Judith Lewis Herman, in her book Trauma and Recovery wrote “Traumatized people suffer damage to the basic structures of the self. They lose trust in themselves, in other people, in God...The identity they have formed prior to the trauma is irrevocably destroyed” (Herman). The U.S. Conference of Mayors took a census and found that of the cities polled, half of them pinpointed domestic or sexual violence as a primary cause of homelessness (Cawthorne). After a sexual assault, women can find their lives interrupted. Sexual or domestic violence can lead to physical and mental health problems, leaving women with the problem of paying medical bills, missing work or school, or becoming unemployed. American females have anywhere from a 50 percent to a 95 percent chance of developing post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, after being sexually, physically, or mentally abused