The Female Face of Poverty

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. After granting shape, life and rhythm to a formless naught, he gazed upon his creation and saw that it was good. Then, God, as an artist sets his signature on the finished canvas, decided to crown his work with his last creation, a being endowed with untouchable sacredness, with his very own image. He created human beings, male and female he created them, so that they would rule over the earth in perfect unity with him as well as with each other…

As part of my studies in Theology, I went on placement during which I hoped to learn about working with women in a church setting. It was here that a small prayer diary was given to me. After chatting to the pastor for while, she took out the booklet and said: “Sarah, read this. This is what women’s ministry is all about.” As she left, I flicked through the pages. The beautiful, staring eyes of women from different parts of the world invited me to share in their stories and pray. Turning to the foreword I read:

“A few years ago, I was asked the question, ‘What will be the greatest global challenge as we enter the 21st Century?’ You may think of war, terrorism, famine, AIDS and a number of other colossal needs, which all surely qualify. But among the most serious issues is gender injustice – the abuse and suppression of women. Why? Because it is the biggest, most far reaching, and most hidden.”  - Loren Cunningham


My later studies of sociology allowed me to study gender inequality more deeply. Although I spent a few months researching the issue, I know I have only scratched the surface of the topic and have discovered only a small fragment of the injustice women experience all over the world. Reading about different situations was heartbreaking. Only reluctantly do I imagine what it would be like to really experience such injustice and 

suffering – apparently, just because God had chosen to make me a woman.

As it is estimated today that two thirds of all poor people on the face of the earth are women, experts often say that poverty has a female face. Although it is not very hard to believe this about distant and less developed countries, I find it shocking that the quota is just about the same in our “civilized” countries. The high number of poor women is intrinsically linked with the changes our societies have undergone during the last decades.  The traditional concept of family and marriage has been undermined and to grow up with both parents is not necessarily the norm any longer. In fact, the fastest growing type of family in Western countries is the single parent family. This is, according to specialists, one reason why women are increasingly affected by poverty. 

In split families, it is usually the woman who will receive custody of the children. Bearing in mind that women generally earn less than men, it is understandable that assuming both custodial and economic responsibility for them can be burdensome. Thus, many women living in this situation struggle to make ends meet. As a specialist once said, “for men, a job is often an effective remedy for poverty, while women are often poor even when working full-time.”

In other parts of the world, women face different kinds of poverty.  In too many societies, giving birth to girls is still a great disappointment or even a curse to which the only remedy seems to be infanticide. Such gender biases have immense repercussion on the well-being of societies. In India alone, it is estimated that 1 million women are ‘missing’ because of gender biases: Baby girls are too often aborted, and those who outlive birth will probably have an inauspicious position in their family, meaning that boys will be favoured concerning basic child care and nutrition, leading to higher death rates for little girls than little boys. Girls will also attend school for a shorter time than their brothers (if at all), as they will have to be prepared for marriage from an early age. Their lack of education robs them of any life chances, rights to make decisions on their own or of any aspiration to change their fate.

The fact that women play an essential role in the well-being of communities is not a particularly recent discovery within development studies. However, the third Millennium goal has drawn attention to the importance of women in development, stating that they must be released and empowered in order to alleviate poverty and raise living standards.  

Anyone using their common sense would agree that the situation of oppressed women has to improve, begging the question why the completion of this mission is taking so long. My guess is that this has to do with the fact that such changes would clash with hundreds of years old traditions and mindsets that now seem unshakable. For millions of women, female circumcision, poverty, forced prostitution and other forms of inequality are simply the reality of daily life.

I wonder if there are such seemingly unshakable mindsets regarding gender biases in our churches today. If experts assert that women’s involvement in society is key to the well-being of a country, could it be the same for the church? Is it possible that for centuries the church has only been living up to half of its potential? If God designed a man and a woman as the foundation for humanity, with a task surpassing mere marriage, that of ruling over the earth, maybe the world would function better with man and women ruling together. Could this maybe also be true for the church?