Gender inequality makes women in most societies poorer.  Women face more obstacles than men in labour markets, receive lower wages for the same work, dominate in the informal economy and have less access to credit, land, time, education, and other productive resources.  In most parts of the world poor women do the caring, feeding and cleaning for the family, treating for the sick and dying – particularly in this era of HIV & AIDS, as well as earning small amounts of cash through labour-intensive activities.  As farmers, workers, heads of households and community leaders they make productive and essential contributions to their community and country. As such, poverty eradication strategies must see women as active agents and not intrinsically vulnerable.  For if women are vulnerable it is only because they have been made vulnerable – legally, economically, culturally, sexually, structurally – for centuries.   

The fight against poverty therefore requires equality and justice for women. Sufficient income is necessary to lowering poverty, but getting communities out of poverty will depend on women’s leadership, access to education, time, land, healthcare and credit, as well as women enjoying their reproductive and sexual rights, freedom from violence, and equal rights in the family and in society. 

Similarly, the fight against poverty is also a fight against the unequal distribution of wealth.  It is a fight against the neoliberal economic framework which favours corporations and powerful domestic lobbies in North America and Europe and a system that does not contribute to the eradication of poverty or the achievement of human rights and development goals.  It is a fight for a system of global governance that supports equality and social justice.

Some links

Web links for Directory of Resources on Gender and Women's Issues:
Region and country specific information on the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women: http://www.un.org/womenwatch/asp/user/list.asp?ParentID=20

Resources on Gender and Women's Issues:

• http://www.un.org/womenwatch/asp/user/list.asp?ParentID=10582
• http://www.un.org/ecosocdev/geninfo/women/womday97.htm
• http://www.ilo.org/public/english/bureau/inf/event/women/2007/index.htm
• http://portal.unesco.org/ci/en/ev.php-URL_ID=
  18260&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html
• http://www.isis.aust.com/iwd/stevens/
• http://www.internationalwomensday.com/
• http://www.globalwomenstrike.net/
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Women's_Day
• http:///www.hrea.org/feature-events/iwd.php
• http://www.idrc.ca/en/ev-94347-201-1-DO_TOPIC.html
  http://www.utwente.nl/en/mainitems/lecture_080307_schipper.doc/