Up
from 13.9 percent in 2009 to 14.5 percent in 2010, the poverty rate among women
is the highest it has been in 17 years. Somehow the mainstream
media has failed to mention the disproportionate representation of women in
these figures. They have not, however, been forgotten.
The
feminization of poverty can be attributed to a number of odds stacked against
women in the current economic climate. It is undoubted—the recession impacted
everyone—however, it is largely the jobs in woman-dominated sectors such as
education and other public sector jobs that are unlikely to be restored anytime
soon. Throughout the post-recession time period of June 2009 through May 2011,
while the unemployment rate for men decreased, the overall rate for women increased to 8.5 percent; women
lost 218,000 jobs while men gained 768,000.
The
role of microenterprise in both the lives of women and the economy is,
increasingly significant. Not only is microenterprise in part in the business
of creating jobs, it is also geared to provide women the opportunity to fulfill
family-oriented responsibilities and work enough to become financially fit. For
single mothers, a population who has one of the highest numbers of individuals living under the poverty line
at 41 percent, microenterprise truly could be an answer. It is not an immediate
answer—as some self-confidence, networks, and financial and business skills are
necessary in order for microentrepreneurship to be successful—but, fortunately
there are microenterprise organizations like Women’s Initiative to help women
cultivate these skills, giving them both a boost out of poverty and a hand into
financial stability.
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