Women and poverty Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Women and poverty - Research Paper Example The United Nations in its recent measurement of poverty levels in societies has defined poverty as a condition in which people live in less than one dollar in a day. Coulter (24) defined poverty as the nature in which certain individuals or groups of people in the society are deprived of resources and are denied opportunities to improve their lives. Poverty is the lack of basic needs by people such as food, clothing, and shelter. Poverty in women therefore, is the lack of the basic needs by women that are essential for them to live good lives. The lack of opportunities as well as women’s inability to live long, healthy and creative lives indicates that they face a poverty problem. They do not have the choice to live according to their own wish and standards since they cannot afford the necessities. Additionally, the lack of freedom and failure to live according to their desires takes away their dignity, making the society down look upon them. The biological and sociological pr ocesses that affect both men and women have varying effects on the two genders, affecting each one of them in their own unique way. While these differences positively affect men, women on the other hand are negatively affected. The gap even becomes bigger in areas with minimal legislations that focus on women development. Social structures and roles assigned to women and men by the society too affect their poverty levels. The cultural expectation of men to be the providers of their families makes the society give them more opportunities. Paper Outline 1. Feminization of poverty 2. Nature and extent of poverty in women 3. Causes of poverty among women (a) Wage gap between men and women (b) Low salaries among women (c) Lack of job opportunities for women (d) Inequality in distribution of resources (e) Social exclusion of women by the society (f) Lack of credit and loan facilities for women (g) Negative effects of credit (h) Traditional beliefs and practices (i) Poor farming methods (j ) Poor legislations 4. Conclusion and Recommendations In conclusion, poverty in women is real and women are suffering from lack of opportunities and enough income to sustain decent lifestyles. This has resulted to feminization of poverty, which is an association of women with poverty. The factors that contribute to the high poverty levels among women are both social and legislative related. High wage gaps between men and women, low salaries, lack of job opportunities, inequality in distribution of resources, social exclusion of women by the society, lack of credit and loan facilities for women, negative effects of credit, traditional beliefs and practices, poor farming methods for women, working in agriculture and poor legislations all contribute to the women’s poverty levels. Annotated bibliography Townson, Monica. A Report Card on Women and Poverty, The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, 2000. Web. 29 May 2013 In the paper, â€Å"A Report Card on Women and Povertyâ⠂¬ , Townson gives a clear analysis of the different causal factors of escalated levels of poverty among Canadian women. Feminization of poverty as she points out is by its construction a societal and legislative concern. From her study, she explores the various contributing factors to the high poverty levels among women in the Canadian society. Townson believes that women have unjustly been associated with poverty, tracing the issue of women poverty to a historical point of view. This problem as she observes has been around the society for a long time. According to her, the biggest contributing factor to escalating poverty levels among women in Canada is the huge wage gap between me

Comparative Eastern Influences Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Comparative Eastern Influences - Essay Example Both religions employ the concepts of karma, the understanding that a person's happiness is determined by the good and evil he/she has committed in not only one lifetime but many subsequent lifetimes, and nirvana, the exemption from the repetition of living, dying, and reliving (p. 497). In Hinduism, according to Bruder and Moore (2005), "humans, though basically good, are caught up in a cycle of desire and suffering that is the direct result of ignorance and ego. In short, they are miserable. The desires that torment them are many and diverse, including sensual lusts and the desire for existence" (p. 497). Hinduism's beliefs are built upon searching for absolutism, and for a person to obtain a unity with his/her soul and with eternal life (p. 495). In a similar fashion, Buddhism targets ignorance and selfishness as the grounds for suffering. Bruder and Moore (2005) state that a person cannot have these two character flaws as a way to live "because what happens is so much beyond one' s control. For even when life goes as is hoped for, there is no guarantee that it will continue that way, and inevitably anxiety and fear overwhelm temporary satisfaction" (p. 498). The Vedas are Hinduism's doctrine that instructs the ideal way of living. It contains the Upanishads, which contains the mahavakya, or "the four great sayings" (p. 496). Atman is, simply, one person and his soul. Brahman is, as Bruder and Moore (2005) write, the "ultimate reality or principal and the source and sustainer of all things, including people and gods. It is the supreme consciousness, the one, the One-and-only-One" (p. 496). The mahavakya describe how a Hindu can unity his atman and a brahman (which can be done through much meditation): "1) Consciousness is brahman, 2) That art thou, 3) The self is brahman, and 4) I am brahman" (p. 495-6). The Vedas influenced the religion's philosophical schools, created to help its students achieve spiritual emancipation: Yoga, Vedanta, Nyaya, Vaisesika, Samkhya, and Mimamsa (p. 495). Buddhism has the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path as its dogmas. The Four Noble Truths acknowledge that agony exists, the sources of agony, the actuality that the person can terminate his/her agony, and how to do so, which are illustrated in the eight statements known as the Eightfold Path (p. 498). The directions contained in the Eightfold Path are the Right View, Right Aim, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Living, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Contemplation. These are listed in the order that the person must take in order to succeed. For example, the right aim cannot be established without first having the right view (pp. 500-502). Hindu's origins are unknown; no one knows who discovered it, when, or under what circumstances. However, Hindus accept the dogmas dictated in the Vedas (p. 495). Despite its unknown origins, Bruder and Moore (2005) state, "It is best to view it (Hinduism) as a spiritual attitude that gives rise to a wide range of religious and philosophical beliefs and practices. These range from the worship of village and forest deities, which often take zoomorphic forms, to sophisticated metaphysical theories" (p. 495). With Buddhism, there is a detailed account of its establishment by Prince Siddhartha Gautama, who would later be renowned