Feminization Of Poverty In The United States Essay
One of the things that we must remember with poverty is that it is a structural problem, especially for women, of which 15.6 percent are living in poverty in the United States. This compared to 13 percent of men who are living in poverty. (U.S. Bureau of the Census, qtd in Aulette and Wittner) These numbers also increase for people of different races, including an increased gap between women and men within those races. This phenomenon is called the “feminization of poverty,” simply women are more likely to be living in poverty compared to men. (Aulette and Wittner) The feminization of poverty represents how poverty in our country is sexist. Women in the United States only earn 81 percent of what men make and the United States remains one of
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In our culture, it is still largely the role of women to be the primary caregivers of children, and because the United States still does not guarantee paid family leave, it is often women that must forgo furthering their careers in order to take care of their children. And beyond just being able to further their careers, often women cannot even receive a higher education because of the lack of childcare policies. An account by Maria Cristina Rangel in “Knowledge is Power” talks about how the welfare policies of her state made it extremely difficult for her to attend college, have a job, and be able to take care of her child. She wanted to be able to attend college, but in order to receive the benefits she needed, the state required that she also hold a job. Balancing a job, college, and raising a child is difficult, but if she did not receive a degree, she believed that there was no way to move up “the ladder.” Rangel says that her relationship with her state “embodied our society’s attitude of contempt, hostility, and distrust of toward low-income people.” (Rangel, p. 192) Two-thirds of the recipients of welfare are children and most adults on welfare happen to be single mothers, so welfare politics are a part of “women’s issues” as well. (Aulette and
In our culture, it is still largely the role of women to be the primary caregivers of children, and because the United States still does not guarantee paid family leave, it is often women that must forgo furthering their careers in order to take care of their children. And beyond just being able to further their careers, often women cannot even receive a higher education because of the lack of childcare policies. An account by Maria Cristina Rangel in “Knowledge is Power” talks about how the welfare policies of her state made it extremely difficult for her to attend college, have a job, and be able to take care of her child. She wanted to be able to attend college, but in order to receive the benefits she needed, the state required that she also hold a job. Balancing a job, college, and raising a child is difficult, but if she did not receive a degree, she believed that there was no way to move up “the ladder.” Rangel says that her relationship with her state “embodied our society’s attitude of contempt, hostility, and distrust of toward low-income people.” (Rangel, p. 192) Two-thirds of the recipients of welfare are children and most adults on welfare happen to be single mothers, so welfare politics are a part of “women’s issues” as well. (Aulette and