"If You're a Woman, Expect to Be Poor Someday
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.... October/November 1979 Women and Poverty report: "If you're a woman, expect to be poor someday by Esther Shannon the chances of a married woman Most single-parent mothers, conseq1Jence of the role women mothers, elderly spouseless being poor are compartively contrary to our expectations, are are expected to play in this women, or married women living In its report on Women and low- 9%. The explanation for women between the age of 40 to society." in poverty, can expect minima~ Poverty, the National Council of _ this apparent contradiction is 45 whose children are teenagers. Sex role stereotyping, the assistance from government. No Welfare has gathered an that the vast majority of The report speculates fewer expect to find their satifaction province in Canada is prepared impressive array of statistics to Canadian women are married. family responsibilities for the.fact a(Jd financial security in a to provide support sufficient to support its contention that The report discusses a number that onl}\ 30 per cent of these husband. When that husband maintain women above the women in Canada are the most of factors which "contribute to a women are poor. Two out of 3 dies, is disabled, leaves, is unable poverty line. common and devastated victims couple's vulnerabiliy to poverty." single-parent mothers under the to provide an adequate income or of poverty, first and foremost The empoyment status of the age of 35, an incredible 68 per simi;>lY never ~aterializes (90 out Recommendations for Change because they are women. husband is the most important cent, are poor. of 100 Canadian women do For feminists the knowledge influence on the economic The report cites family marry), women are thrown back The report recommends both that women are "only a husband situation of two-parent families. responsibilities, education, and on their own inadequacy mainly long and short term measures to away from welfare" is not new. "strengthen the financial position But, judging from media and of women". Studying the the general pumic's surprized and recommendations for long term appalled reaction to the report, change is disheartening; not feminists must have had a corner because they are not the solutions on this information. we need, but because they are The objectives of the report are . measures women's groups have to "describe poor women, to demanded for years. examine why they are poor, and The report pinpoints three recommend ways of improving broad areas where government their situation." intervention could ensure equality for women: education, Poor women-facts and figures the labour market and marriage. "Overall 16 % of adult Some of its major recommen Canadian women live in poverty. dations include: an end to sex One woman out of every six role stereotyping in schools, a total of 1,219,000- must television and advertising; equal somehow manage on an income pay for work of equal value below Statistics Canada's legislation; employment poverty line. The comparable steroetypes and job creation figure for men is 11 %, or one out programs which include women's of every nine - a total of85 l ,OOO." special needs; anti-discri Distinguishing between mination legislati on which puts married women, single women the onus for action on the who live alone and single parent empioyer, not the employed; women, the report found that family law reform that will make percentage-wise widows and marriage a relationship of other former\y married women economic equals; and inclusion are most likely to be poor; 54% of homemakers in the have incomes below the poverty Canada/ Que,bec Pension Plan. line. The Council's short term Three quarters of them are measures would provide over the age of 55. Mary S.,a 67- immediate relief to Canada's low year-old woman quoted in the income women. report, identifies her experience Concentrating . on ways of re as typical of "what it's like being distributing income through an old woman alone who's only Only one third of two income labour force status as the factors because of socialization. midifications to the present tax got the government ·pension to husbands arc employed on a full that contribute most heavily to Even if women clear the system, the report points out that live on". time, full year basis. the economic situation of most socialization hurtle there are "tax exemptions are of no use to Poor older women, she says, · The sociologists call these men single-parent mothers. Fulltimc other barriers erected against parents whose income is too low manage by paying the rent and "the working poor." If one paid employment is the most them. for them to owe any tax and that utilities- and eating less. A simple supports the argument that the important of these. The report Labour market segregation, the present system for equation. poor are poor because they concludes that if a single-parent inadequate equal pay legislation, exemptions for children, like all She talks of the fear that is a deserve to be, the working poor mother "must rely on a former family responsibilities and the tax exemptions and deductions, constant in the lives of older present some what of a husband or welfare, she will "understandable" desire of provide benefits that increase women. "Fear of the future, of contradiction. This con almost certainly be destitute." employees to maintain a docile with a person's income. tradiction can be resolved more illness, less money, less Why Women are Poor and cheap labour force severly The NCW recommeded in pride.... So fear keeps us in line. It however, when one learns that limit women's ability to provide 1978 that the tax exemptions for is our punishment for getting old even though these people work According to the Women and for their own economic needs. dependant children be eliminated and sick." full time they recieve less than Poverty report women are poor · As well the report's statistics and that the 'rrioney thus saved be It is a punishment few older poverty line wages. If we believe because "poverty is a natural demonstrate that single-parent cont. o!1 page IO women escape. According to the people are paid what they're study, two out of three elderly - worth then obviously these men widows live below the poverty and their families are "getting what they deserve". line. Because of their age, these Age is another factor which P.C.'s promise to deliver equality women bave little or no contributes to poverty. Although possibility of any change in their most low income couples are position. Because of our sex, the between the age of 24 to 64, a -by example report concludes, most Canadian much larger proportion of poor women can look forward to than of non-poor couples are ending their lives in the same cir segregation which forces women month some of -the areas his over 65. by Pat Daley cumstances in which Mary S. will Another factor contributing to into low-paying jobs; and lower department would be working ' end hers ... deprivation and fear. poverty for low income families Equality by example is the way and eventually end the wage gap on. The largest group of poor the Progressive Conservative between men and women which is only in 3 poor wives work Stressing "the importance of women in Canada are also the government plans to improve has continued"to increase. outside the home; more than half sharing," Alexander said the most ignored. Almost half a of the wives of non-poor families women's situation in the work They plan to do it by allocating labour department's women's million married women in force. $1.3 million to reinstate are employed. When only full bureau "will keep a 'watchful eye' Canada live in poor two-spouse Announcing the three-part_ Outreach projects cut by the time jobs are considered, the on policy and program develop families. The report points out strategy to a federal-provin Liberals (not $3 million as Prime difference is even great~r. Non ments at the federal level with that "the habit of forgetting the cial status of women conference Minister Joe Clark promised poor wives are three times as respect to concerns such as equal wives of low income married men likely to be employed full time. in September, Employment• and during the election), studying the pay for work of equal value, is so widespread that even the The report attributed the lower Immigration Minister Ron impact on women employees affirmative action and Quebec Status of Women participation of poor women in Atkey said his government will before laying off 60,000 civil discrimination of ~he basis of Council in its recent plan of the labour force to the presence provide leadership by' example servants, and studying ways to sex." action, forgot to include wives in of young children. and only use legislation as a last better police the working con its enumeration of the women Forty four per cent of single resort. ditions of domestic servants. The bureau .will also begin an who were in receipt of social parent mothers are poor. For He said the objectives of the The employment strategy is evaluation of the Canada Labour assistance in the province." many people the report notes, the strategy are to lower the.female being developed by an inter Code, specifically sections on Despite the fact that married single-parent mother has become unemployment rate which is d e part men ta I committee. maternity leave and enforcement women constitute the largest "the stereotype of the female running at 9.6 per cent; reduce Labour minister Lincoln of equal pay laws, which should group of poor women in Canada poor".