Commission on the Status of Women NGO Side Virtual Event : Feminization of poverty- How does poverty affect the lives of women discriminated against on work and descent?

Global Forum of Communities Discriminated on Work and Descent (GFoD), along with partner entities:  European Roma Grassroots Organisations Network (ERGO),  Feminist Collective of Romani Gender Experts, and Romalitico – Institute for Research and Policy Analysis organise a side event focusing on addressing the intersectionality of discrimination, marginalization and poverty faced by women from Communities Discriminated on Work and Descent (CDWD).

Women part of CDWD are regarded as one the most vulnerable groups in terms of social, economic, and political development. They experience intersectional discrimination and oppression because of overlapping social constructs of ability, age, work, caste, class, and gender. The main challenge of CDWD women initially is seen in the lack of available disaggregated data and a focus on their specific needs in policy documents. Making progress towards greater inclusion of CDWD women and girls is not only a human rights imperative, but  the recognition of their existence and addressing our challenges is one of the best ways to move forward in ensuring that CDWD are able to access education, health services, social benefits and employment opportunities. 

Both poverty and gender inequality represent distinct forms of social injustice, posing significant threats to human rights, individual well-being, and the realization of one’s full potential in life, as emphasized in the human development approach. Despite ongoing efforts to advance gender equality, women continue to occupy an underprivileged position in our societies, consequently facing an increased susceptibility to poverty. Women grappling with poverty encounter a dual risk and injustice, both based on their gender and economic status. Poverty and gender are intertwined, and in the past decade, there has been a growing use of the term ‘feminization of poverty’ to describe the increasing proportion of women among those living in poverty, especially women discrimination on work and descent (such as Dalit, Roma, Quilombola, Burakumin). Some of the factors contributing to the feminization of poverty include intersectional discrimination, distribution of resources within households influenced by patriarchal values, lower rate of education and employment caused by systemic discrimination, unequal access to property, inadequate childcare, segregation in education, lack of access to digitalization etc.

During this event, together with representatives of communities discriminated against on work and descent we aim to explore the nuances of how different groups of women experience poverty. Moreover, the event will also provide us with the platform to present good practices which have successfully helped women and girls in poverty.

During the event, we will also launch a regional report on the situation of Roma women in Europe!

Keynote speech

• Penda Mbow, Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar

Moderator: 

• Marija Sulejmanova, Romalitico – Institute for Research and Policy Analysis

Speakers: 

• Claudia González, Feminist Collective of Romani Gender Expert
• Queen Bisseng, Central Africa Human Rights Defenders Network and GFoD
• Vercilene,  Coordenação Nacional de Articulação das Comunidades Negras Rurais Quilombolas
• Logeswary Ponniah, Women Solidarity Front, Kandy
• Isabela Mihalache, Senior Advocacy Officer at ERGO Network

To know more about Speakers, please click here

To know more about Speakers, please visit : http://tinyurl.com/cswgfod15march

Time: March 15, 2024 11:30 – 12:30 ET/ 16:30 CET

Zoom Link : https://theinclusivityproject-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIkdeiqrD8qEtF-TXR89mI3IeLs-EfZCfT-