Feminization of Poverty and Education in Canada Analytical Essay by scribbler

Feminization of Poverty and Education in Canada
An exploration of the feminization of poverty and education that has existed for many years in Canada.
# 153431 | 2,931 words | 10 sources | APA | 2013 | US
Published on May 31, 2013 in Women Studies (Feminism) , Canadian Studies (Gender, Race, Class issues) , Sociology (General)


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Description:

This paper explores the feminization of poverty that has significantly influenced the so-called "equality of opportunity" for education in the last one and half centuries, making it harder for women to move along upward towards social mobility. The paper explains that women in Canada have been systematically relegated to lower positions with lower opportunities and pay, and that education has played an important role in that process. The paper then discusses how conservative and neoliberal politicians began to attack limited feminist gains by ringing alarm bells over the gains of women and the presumed failures of men in education, but reveals that such concerns are vastly exaggerated since men still dominate women in having access to better educational opportunities as well as higher paid jobs. The paper argues that this panic is not based on genuine concern for social justice; rather, it is rather a reflection of how men accustomed to positions of power are trying to reverse feminist gains and re-relegate women back to subordinate positions.

From the Paper:

"The term "feminization of poverty" was introduced in 1978. Since then it went through several redefinitions. Initially, it referred to an increase in the proportion of women who were poor. Some later definitions referred to an increase in the proportion of poor families headed by lone women (Dooley 1994). At the heart of any definition, however, lies the suggestion that the burden of poverty falls more heavily on the shoulders of women than men. Research shows that in Canada both the number of poor women and the number of poor families headed by lone females have increased lately.
"For example, in a report summarizing some of the changes taking place in late '80s and early 90s, Taylor (1994) pointed out that only a minority of women--mostly white and well-educated--were moving up the social ladder but even they were gaining at a "glacial pace." And while more women were at the workforce than ever before, the unemployment rate for women began to rise (10.1% in 1992, up from 9.3% in 1991). Most women were locked in the service-sector jobs and the service-sector wages began to fall across the country. In the province of Quebec, 28,000 jobs were lost between September and October 1991, and 27,000 of these jobs had been held by women."

Sample of Sources Used:

  • Curtis, B., Livingstone, D. & Smaller, K. 1992. Stacking the Deck: The Streaming of Working-Class Kids in Ontario Schools. Toronto: Our Schools Ourselves/Garamond.
  • Dooley, M. D. 1994. Women, Children and Poverty in Canada. Canadian Public Policy, 20(4): 43-443.
  • Gaskell, J. 1993 Feminism and Its Impact on Educational Scholarship in Canada. In Stewin, L., & McCann, S. (eds.), Contemporary Educational Issues: The Canadian Mosaic 2nd ed., Toronto: Copp Clark.
  • Lessard, C. 1995. Equality and Inequality in Canadian Education. In Ghosh, R, & Ray, D. (eds.), Social Change and Education in Canada ,3d ed. Toronto: Harcourt Brace.
  • Marcoux, A. 1998. The Feminization of Poverty: Claims, Facts, and Data Needs. Population and Development Review, 24(1): 131-139.

Cite this Analytical Essay:

APA Format

Feminization of Poverty and Education in Canada (2013, May 31) Retrieved March 29, 2023, from https://www.academon.com/analytical-essay/feminization-of-poverty-and-education-in-canada-153431/

MLA Format

"Feminization of Poverty and Education in Canada" 31 May 2013. Web. 29 March. 2023. <https://www.academon.com/analytical-essay/feminization-of-poverty-and-education-in-canada-153431/>

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