Problem
More than ten lakh people around the world live on less than ten rupees a day— and women makes majority of the world’s poorest citizens. Women face much number of economic barriers in developing countries, such as unequal low wages, bad working conditions, property rights, and lack of access to credit.
When women are poor, families and communities cannot be strong. Women living in poverty face greater challenges in earning a steady income, educating and feeding their children, and escaping violence.
Solution
Investment in women is a proven path to reduce poverty. Decades of research have shown that when women have access to more resources, they invest in their families’ future by spending money on things like their children’s nutrition, education and health care. This creates a multiple effect that strengthens families and communities over time. Increasing and protecting women’s financial position can also decrease their vulnerability to HIV/AIDS, violence, human trafficking, the impact of natural disasters and child labor issues.
Women in developing countries, the ability to trade can mean the difference between barely surviving and sending their children to school. Despite hard work, extreme poverty and high unemployment often mean that selling their products to other countries (where people have money to buy) is the only chances to women in poor countries have to earn a sufficient income.
International trade, if designed to benefit poor women and families, could end world poverty.
