Combating Poverty at the Source: Providing Earning Power to Poor Women An Exploratory Note
28 Pages Posted: 24 Jun 2012
Date Written: March 8, 2008
Abstract
The article ventures into the women-poverty nexus , underscoring the importance of giving women earning power as a means to cut the vicious cycle of poverty that destines them to the status of perpetual subordination living on the periphery of the society. Facilitating and supporting micro and small scale enterprises run by women is suggested as an important means of giving women that earning power. However, to be effective, such enterprises should deal in farm and off farm activities in sectors such as agriculture, trade, energy saving and ecologically safe activities, with the strongest potential multiplier effect on regional economies and with the likelihood of benefiting from funding for REDD activities by global environment facility, under Kyoto Climate change mitigation, adaptation and technology transfer arrangements. It s argued further that empowering women, must be done within the framework of rural development strategy within locally acceptable, and therefore understood institutions, with modifications where necessary, involving not only women but their male counterparts, who have vital influence on community resources, customs, and leadership. That way, poverty alleviation measures will have a high likelihood to succeed, where many have registered outright failures
Keywords: Empowerment, Poverty, Credit Policy
JEL Classification: G21, G23, O16
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation