Across Nigeria, women form the backbone and pillar of economic survival by raising households to survive on barely nothing. From farming to petty trading, they remain mostly affected by poverty. Feminization of poverty in Nigeria is the result of decades of economic policy that fails to address the realities of gender inequality. Feminization of Poverty is a phenomenon that refers to the prevalence of poor women among the impoverished communities that suffer from poverty to a great extent.
According to the United Nations, of the 1.5 billion people living below one dollar, majority are women. This highlights the trend of increasing poverty level among women and children. Statistics show that women make up 70% of Nigeria’s impoverished population.
Moreover, over 50% of rural women do not have access to basic education, a healthy diet, and health care services. This put them below the nationally recognised poverty level. Nigerian women manage their homes, work, and care for their husbands, kids, and extended family members in addition to playing a huge role as moms. They handle most of the work in the food processing industry and supervise the activities of the unorganised sector in both rural and urban areas. To increase their productivity and earnings, however, less than 20% of women have direct ownership of their farmland, less than 10% have access to agricultural inputs, and less than 5% have agricultural credits.
This article aims to discuss the roots of structural feminization, consequences and measures to take regarding the feminization of poverty in Nigeria.
Roots of Structural Feminization of Poverty
Structural feminization of poverty is deeply rooted in gender inequalities, especially limited access to resources such as good education, resources and employment opportunities. Societal and cultural norms also contribute and put women at a disadvantage. These factors coupled with poor governance, insecurity and economic challenges increase the vulnerability of Nigerian women to poverty.
Traditionally, men are regarded as the sole providers in Nigerian households. For this reason, most women do not have full access to own farmlands or dabble into certain ventures without the consent or permission of their husbands or significant male figure. These patriarchal structures hinder their ability to generate income and improve their socio-economic standing. Also, economic opportunities are limited for women. There is sometimes gender discrimination in the labour market and more often than not, women have to do twice the work before they are recognized in comparison with their male counterparts.
The lack of formal education might have a role to play in poverty. The vast majority of Nigerian women, especially those in rural communities and some in urban settlements, either lack formal education or are inadequately educated. For this reason, even access to economic opportunities is diminished as they are not qualified to apply for such roles.
Education for women and children provides them with the needed skill-set and confidence to fully participate in society and the labour market, which in turn, enables them to make decisions. Educated women are more likely to have better-paying jobs, and in turn make them economically stable
Consequences
The consequences of feminization include: increased vulnerability to violence and exploitation. Due to increased burden on women, poverty makes them more vulnerable to various forms of violence and abuse both from family and society. Such violence may include domestic abuse, sexual assault, and harmful traditional practices like female genital mutilation. They may also be
forced into exploitative labour situations, including human trafficking and child marriage, for children. The feminization of poverty has led to limited access to education and poor health care.
Since most women are burdened with the responsibility of taking care of their homes, education might not be considered as a necessity. This therefore leads to an unending cycle of illiteracy among children who will later become adults. Poverty amongst women will increase the rate of infant mortality, malnutrition and poor hygiene. Additionally, poor women often take up job
roles that tend to exploit them such that they do some much work with very little pay. Payment might not usually be monetary and this means their purchasing power is limited. For example, working in exchange for foodstuff means that they can’t get to buy clothes or even send their kids to school.
Measures against The Feminization of Poverty
Education is and will always remain the key to alleviating poverty, from enlightenment programs to the provision of formal education. Free education and access should be created and enforced, especially for the girl child. The need for education should be constantly emphasized, especially in areas that have high rates of illiteracy. Vocational training and adult education will help
women have access to opportunities and a means to earn more to take care of themselves. It will provide them with entrepreneurial skills that can be passed on to their children.
This will also reduce dependency on their husbands and on other households. Generally, education and awareness will reduce poverty among women in the long run.
Some laws are outdated and must be completely removed because they do not support the rights of women. Such laws have crippled women’s ability to be financially independent, reducing them to dependents.
The Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act (VAPP Act) should be enforced to reduce violence against women and children. This act aims to eradicate every form of violence targeted towards individuals. If strict punishments are meted out violators of this act, it would reduce the rate of abuse on women and children.
Community mobilization and empowerment programs supports women. It provides some form of comfort and unity among women. The provision of cooperative unions encourages the bargaining power of women. This kind of union programs help to tackle harmful societal norms. These unions help women to obtain credit loans and facilitate the acquisition of farmlands. This
will in turn help to improve their output, generate income and boost financial capacity.
The Feminization of poverty in Nigeria didn’t suddenly start. It was a gradual process and constant loop that has existed over the years. It is as a result of certain economic choices, social norms, and institutional neglect. Therefore, it won’t vanish overnight. The measures highlighted above can only be enforced overtime with hope that it can be completely and totally eradicated, if possible.
