In this paper, I will discuss poverty and gender inequalities, specifically the prevalence of higher levels of poverty among women and children in India. There are a variety of reasons why women and children are more vulnerable to impoverishment but one of the main factors is women’s greater responsibility for the care of household members. Therefore their options and access to join the labor force are limited. Women have fewer economic and political opportunities to improve their well-being and that of their families, so poverty tends to hit them hard. “There appears to be a wide measure of agreement on the perception that the opportunities to escape poverty are limited and as a consequence, chronic poverty is the norm” (Barrientos and Neff
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It became industrialized relatively late in the twentieth century, so it’s not nearly as advanced as high-income countries. “Researchers suggest that globalization has had a detrimental effect in most of the developing world, with the most vulnerable developing countries being those characterized by societal divisions, weak government institutions, limited democratic rights, and poor social welfare provision” (Neckerman and Torche 2007:346). A large majority of people, especially in rural areas, have a low standard of living. This means they have a lower life expectancy, less education, less income, and usually also a higher fertility rate. Women and children are overwhelmingly affected by poverty and this phenomenon is described by the term ‘feminization of poverty’. Women living in poverty do not only lack money, but are also deprived of critical human rights such as education, proper sanitation, health, and food. “The constitution provides a framework of enforcing human rights but in reality ‘vast sections of the Indian population continue to be discriminated against’, and while progressive legislation is being introduced, progress is slow” (Morrow and Pells
It became industrialized relatively late in the twentieth century, so it’s not nearly as advanced as high-income countries. “Researchers suggest that globalization has had a detrimental effect in most of the developing world, with the most vulnerable developing countries being those characterized by societal divisions, weak government institutions, limited democratic rights, and poor social welfare provision” (Neckerman and Torche 2007:346). A large majority of people, especially in rural areas, have a low standard of living. This means they have a lower life expectancy, less education, less income, and usually also a higher fertility rate. Women and children are overwhelmingly affected by poverty and this phenomenon is described by the term ‘feminization of poverty’. Women living in poverty do not only lack money, but are also deprived of critical human rights such as education, proper sanitation, health, and food. “The constitution provides a framework of enforcing human rights but in reality ‘vast sections of the Indian population continue to be discriminated against’, and while progressive legislation is being introduced, progress is slow” (Morrow and Pells