The term “feminization of poverty” underscores the unequal impact of poverty on women, stemming from factors such as unequal resource access, constrained economic opportunities, and gender-based bias. This signifies the complex relationship between poverty and gender, revealing women’s unique vulnerabilities and challenges in attaining financial stability, as corroborated by data from Manya Rathore on July 10, 2023, in 2022, approximately 45 million females lived in impoverished conditions, in contrast to roughly 38 million males. This can be attributed to following factors:

Factors Contributing to the Feminization of Poverty in India:

• Gender Wage Gap: Women in India often earn lower wages than men for similar work, exacerbating their vulnerability to poverty. As of 2022, the gender pay gap in India stood at around 22%, indicating unequal earnings between men and women. This wage gap is even wider in some sectors, such as agriculture and manufacturing.
• Limited Access to Education: The literacy rate for women in India is still lower than that of men, at 67% compared to 82%. This means that women are less likely to have the skills and knowledge they need to get good jobs and earn a decent income, leading to the perpetuation of poverty.
• Unpaid Care Work: Women disproportionately shoulder domestic and caregiving responsibilities, often unpaid and undervalued, which limits their participation in the formal workforce and economic activities, contributing to their impoverishment. On average, women in India spend nearly six times more time on unpaid care work than men.
• Lack of Resource Ownership: Women’s limited land ownership, livestock, and limited property rights restrict their access to resources and financial security. According to NSSO, women in India own less than 10% of land, thus making them vulnerable to landlessness and poverty.
• Vulnerable Employment: Women are often employed in informal and precarious sectors with low wages, no job security, and minimal social protection. A study by the ILO found that women are more likely to be employed in informal sectors, such as agriculture and domestic work, where they are more vulnerable to exploitation.
• Gender-Based Violence: According to the NCRB, there were over 440,000 cases of crimes against women in 2022, including rape, domestic violence, and sexual harassment. Violence can force women into poverty due to physical, psychological, and economic consequences. For example, a study by the World Bank found that women who have experienced domestic violence are more likely to be unemployed and live in poverty.
• Limited Access to Financial Services: Women’s restricted access to formal financial services, including credit and banking, hinders their economic mobility and entrepreneurship. A 2022 survey by the World Bank found that only 24% of Indian women have a bank account in their name.
• Healthcare Disparities: A study by the WHO found that women in India are more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than women in any other country. This is due to a number of factors, including lack of access to healthcare, poor sanitation, and malnutrition.
  • Moreover, a study by the IIHMR found that women in rural areas are more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than women in urban areas.
• Discrimination and Stereotyping: Societal norms and discrimination against women limit their choices and opportunities, funneling them into lower-paying jobs and perpetuating their economic vulnerability. A study by the NCW found that 60% of women in India have experienced some form of discrimination in one or other form, such as being denied a job or promotion, being paid less than men for the same work, or being harassed or abused.
• Lack of Political Representation: As of 2023, women make up only 14% of the Indian Parliament. This lack of representation means that women’s voices are often not heard when it comes to making decisions that affect their lives. A study by the Centre for Policy Research also found that women are less likely to be consulted about development projects that affect them.

Measures to Solve the Issue:

• Women’s Education Empowerment: Enhance access to quality education for girls and women, ensuring they acquire skills for better job prospects, following the footsteps of the “Let Girls Learn” initiative, championed by former U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama.
• Legal Empowerment: Strengthen legal support and awareness programs for women, addressing issues such as property rights, domestic violence, and workplace harassment, inspired by the “MeToo” movement that sparked legal reforms worldwide.
• Women’s Empowerment Centers: Establish centers offering vocational training, financial literacy, and entrepreneurship support to enhance women’s skills and income opportunities, drawing inspiration from Bangladesh’s BRAC Empowerment and Livelihoods for Adolescents program.
• Mobile Banking Solutions: Implement mobile-based banking services to improve women’s access to financial services, enabling them to save, invest, and access credit easily, taking cues from Kenya’s M-Pesa revolutionizing mobile banking.
• Gender-Responsive Agricultural Initiatives: Introduce programs that provide women farmers with access to modern farming techniques, tools, and markets, boosting agricultural productivity and income, following Rwanda’s “One-Cow-per-Family” initiative.
• Women’s Digital Platforms: Develop digital platforms offering online job opportunities, freelance work, and e-commerce platforms to connect women with income-generating activities, inspired by the Philippines’ Online Filipino Workers platform.
• Gender-Responsive Trade Policies: Implement trade policies that consider women’s needs and promote women-led businesses by providing access to international markets, mirroring Chile’s Gender Trade and Development Strategy.

• Financial Empowerment:

  • Promote rural economic activity through approaches like the Kudumbashree model, integrating Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and small processing units, akin to the Amul cooperative model, empowering rural women.
  • Introduce Women-Focused Microcredit Programs inspired by organizations like the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), offering tailored microloans for business initiatives, supported by findings from the Microfinance Information Exchange that indicate increased business initiation and income growth among women with microfinance access.
• Parental Leave Policies: Introduce gender-neutral parental leave policies that provide paid time off for both parents, encouraging shared caregiving responsibilities and women’s continued workforce participation, influenced by Norway’s parental leave policy.
• Gender-Inclusive Healthcare: Develop gender-responsive healthcare services, including maternal health and reproductive rights, exemplified by Sweden’s comprehensive healthcare system that prioritizes women’s health needs.
• Empowerment Through Technology: Promote digital literacy and technology skills among women, enabling them to access online education, remote work, and digital marketplaces, similar to South Korea’s SmartWork Centers providing technology training for women.
• Women’s Leadership Training: Launch leadership development programs that train and mentor women for leadership roles in various sectors, drawing inspiration from Germany’s initiative to increase women’s representation on corporate boards.

Acknowledging the growing feminization of poverty in India, where women are disproportionately affected by economic vulnerability, we stand at a critical juncture to pave an innovative path toward a future of gender-inclusive prosperity. Through concerted efforts and a commitment to equality, we can rewrite the narrative of poverty, forging a brighter future where every woman’s dignity is upheld and her economic well-being secured.