The YWCA Practice Framework is a comprehensive document developed to focus and guide staff at the YWCA in a unified philosophy and was developed with expert consultation with frontline staff, leadership and external stakeholders. The document also serves to clarify for the general public the YWCA’s clear focus on women, particularly those who are vulnerable.
This blog series will break out sections and excerpts from the YWCA Practice Framework to share with our audiences and contribute to the social narratives about women’s issues.
Last week we discussed the differences between relative and absolute poverty and the reality that the face of poverty is a woman’s face. This week we focus on women’s poverty and its implications.
Did you know that when children are in poverty – and in Calgary one in 10 children are – it’s usually because their mother is in poverty? Women head 80 per cent of all single-parent families in Canada, and these single mothers have a net worth of approximately $17,000, while single dads have a net worth of approximately $80,000. In this edition of our Practice Framework Series, we highlight the ways we understand women’s experience of poverty and some of the actions that we are taking to end it.
The discussion about women’s poverty begins with gender roles. Traditional gender roles are learned and reinforced from a young age, often with respect to work, family and household duties. Gender roles are also reinforced in school settings, where boys are more likely to be praised for their academic and intellectual work, while girls are praised for their appearance, behaviours and compliance.
Even with school and university completion rates being higher for women than men, women typically do not earn as much. In Alberta, full-time working women earn about 37 per cent less per year than men. This gap cannot be explained solely based on work availability, and persists when wages are compared on an hourly basis. Wages in traditionally male-dominated sectors are higher than in roles that are seen as “women’s work,” such as nursing, social work and teaching.
Gender roles continue to affect women throughout their life. Women disproportionally bear responsibility for childcare as well as family and household duties, which impacts their hours and availability for paid employment. As a result, women are more likely to work in temporary, contract, part-time or unstable jobs, often with no healthcare or pension benefits. This impacts women’s ability to save for retirement and makes them more likely to experience poverty in their senior years. Women who are particularly at risk are those who have children and then become separated, divorced, or widowed.
A lack of discretionary income also limits women’s ability to socialize with others, and may even adversely impact her children. The children of mothers who are suffering financially may struggle themselves with school completion, isolation and social participation due to a lack of access to sports, recreational pursuits and social activities.
Amidst these struggles, it is no wonder that some women may resort to desperate measures in order to provide an income for herself and for her family. However, no woman should have to resort to sex work or exploitive labour as a means of earning income and providing for her basic needs or those of her children.
At the YWCA, we approach our work from a woman’s point of view with an understanding of oppression, inequity and constrained choice that women experience. We believe that access to flexible, affordable, appropriate and accredited childcare is an important enabler for women and supports women’s economic and social inclusion. We also believe that it is essential to build on women’s education, assets and skills so that women can earn adequate income and overcome poverty.
