Why Women?

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Women in Aroma, Road 10, Navotas Photo by: Anderson Co

“Women work two-thirds of the world’s working hours, produce half of the world’s food, yet earn only 10 percent of the world’s income and own less than one percent of the world’s property. More than 850 million people—most of them women and children—suffer from chronic hunger or malnutrition.

Women in the developing world bear a heavy burden of preventable illness. Each year, more than half a million women die from the complications of pregnancy and childbirth. And despite steady growth in access to contraceptives globally, an estimated 80 million women have unintended pregnancies each year—half end in abortion.

Women play a crucial role in local economies and the health and well-being of their families. Women who are educated are more likely to have fewer and healthier children. In fact, mothers with some education immunize their children 50 percent more often than mothers who are not educated, while HIV/AIDS spreads twice as quickly among uneducated girls than among girls that have even some schooling. Poor maternal health reduces women’s capacity to work and limits their ability to generate income and overcome poverty, often in communities where their contribution to household income and childcare is crucial.

Poor women are often extremely vulnerable to injury or death from violence. At least one in three of the world’s women has been physically or sexually abused at some time in her life. Many, including pregnant women and young girls, are subject to severe, sustained or repeated attacks. In armed conflicts since 1945, 90 percent of casualties have been civilians and three in four war fatalities are women or children.”

-Care.org

Woman with Cart in Aroma, Road 10 Navotas Photo by: Mayko Gatchalian

Woman with Cart in Road 10 Navotas Photo by: Mayko Gatchalian

All around the world, the image of poverty is a woman. Even in the Philippines, the culture of machismo creates a condition of “learned helplessness” by teaching women that they should be taken cared of their husbands and fathers. Women have been conditioned not to take responsibility. Maybe mothers have had experiences paying bills and balance check books, but husbands and fathers were still regarded as breadwinners and decision makers.

To understand why this happens is to understand our society in the beginning. Ages ago, women and men lived together in a cooperative relationship. Women depended on men for physical and financial protection, while men depended on women for nesting and emotional nurturing. There was a time where this made sense, when survival depended upon this division of labor. Now times have changed, although this way of thinking still has not. This is why we hear neighbours talk and malign a man when his spouse becomes the breadwinner. At this day and age, a financially savvy woman is still considered the ultimate taboo.

This conditioning also puts women at a disadvantage. For many housewives, split marriages create shattered lives. Separation is a major cause of poverty among women and single mothers have become the fastest growing segment of the homeless population. Even if a marriage survives, husbands do not. Statistics show that women outlive their husbands for at least seven years. In addition, 80% of widows now living in poverty were not poor in their husband’s death (Working Woman magazine).

KMBI believes that in order to break this cycle of poverty, efforts must be focused on mothers. Studies show that women are more credit worthy than men. They think for the long term. Those women who engage into small businesses use their profits directly to the benefit of her children’s food, clothing, education and household.

Woman Vendor in Navotas Photo by: Eugene Perez

Woman Vendor in Navotas Photo by: Eugene Perez

No one today can afford to be financially ignorant. Knowing that the Philippines hardly has a comprehensive national health insurance, subsidized child and elder care, shrinking social security payments, job security and adequate pensions, women need to realize that no one will be able to fend for them except themselves. The government will not be able to address their needs. Their husbands may not be there all the time, as well as their children. Women have to step up and find a way to earn a living, and what better way than support their businesses?

Nevertheless, this only takes care of the economic side. KMBI believes that poverty is a multifaceted problem and needs multifaceted solutions. KMBI empowers mothers to renew their faith in God and change their character for the better by creating programs and activities for mothers to re-affirm their beliefs. Her children, then husband, eventually friends and the community will eventually imbibe this change. KMBI partners with women in the community to initiate clean up drives and tree planting activities.

The United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDP) says that supporting women’s economic participation, microfinance helps to empower women, promote gender-equity and improvement of household well-being. Giving the woman the ability to strengthen her own financial, spiritual and social health is often the most efficient way to affect an entire family and nation.

Works Cited:

Hockstein, E. (2004) CARE. Retrieved June 2009, from www.care.org.
(http://www.care.org/getinvolved/advocacy/pdfs/whyempowerwomen.pdf)

Stanny, B. (1997). Prince Charming Isn’t Coming. New York: Penguin Putnam Inc.

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