One in three women experience gender-based violence globally. Violence against women has reached epidemic status worldwide. As a result, every year UN Women holds the 16 Days of Activism against gender-based violence campaign. The campaign starts on November 25th, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, to December 10th, Human Rights Day.
Violence against women occurs in every aspect of life. From work to the home to the streets, one in three women will experience violence. 75% of all violence against women is perpetrated by domestic partners. A leading contributor to this is poverty. Many women are forced to enter marriages and partnerships because they can’t rely on their incomes. When institutions bridge the gender pay gap and start valuing women’s labour accordingly, this can help reduce violence against women.
The link between violence against women, income inequality and poverty
Society places little value on labour that’s considered “female”. One major role is that of the domestic manager. This is someone hired to be a cleaner, personal assistant, gofer, and childcare expert. It’s multiple roles bundled into one. However, it’s one of the least-paid positions in the job market. For instance, a house with at least three children, two parents, and a four-bedroom house will pay a domestic manager as little as Ksh. 7000 a month. The job also doesn’t have any upward mobility and many families don’t offer benefits. The low pay makes it an easy position where women can’t escape abusive situations. Gender Based Pay Disparity: A Discriminatory and Sexist Practice That Should Be Stopped
Having to rely on such a low income for survival can make women marry for survival. Because of the lack of financial freedom, they are forced to stay in abusive marriages. In positions where they experience violence in the workplace, they’re trapped in the cycle of abuse because they don’t earn enough for financial freedom.
According to Close the Gap UK, violence against women in the workplace can affect them proportionately to their socioeconomic background. Women from poorer backgrounds are less likely to get higher-paying positions. In addition, roles that have a lot of labour don’t get the corresponding pay they deserve. For instance, a nanny with a degree in childcare earns a higher salary than an untrained domestic manager with more duties. Roles like office cleaners, cooks, and any other stereotypically female roles come with low pay packages which maintain a cycle of poverty.
When women are in higher-ranking positions, they still face inequality. According to UN Women, African women with children earn less than women without children and men. This is known as the motherhood penalty. Globally, the International Labour Organisation found that, on average, women earn 77 cents for every US dollar that men make. Careers: What Is The Motherhood Penalty And What Should Be Done To Solve It?
Women are over-represented in the informal economy which creates a state where they’re more susceptible to violence. They are more likely to remain trapped in low-pay and poor-quality jobs that don’t prioritise their safety and well-being. Most women work in the informal sector with many working in agriculture when they don’t have control of the farms they work on. They also have to work in unsecured gig jobs that have irregular pay and also contribute to financial instability.
Women who also aren’t working in jobs are saddled with unpaid domestic labour and childcare at home. They get no social protection such that in the event of the end of a marriage, they can end up with no assets because their domestic labour isn’t valued as much as the capitalist labour of their spouses. You Can End Up With No Assets In A Dual Income Marriage When You Get Divorced. How Do You Protect Yourself?
Sexual exploitation in the workplace is also something that women experience disproportionately. It occurs more for women in low-income, low-quality positions because they have less power to report injustices against them. With the desperation for income, if one woman complains, she can end up losing her position and be replaced promptly by another woman just as desperate for an income. This form of violence against women is especially cruel because many countries have laws against sexual violence but they don’t protect women in the workplace. Sex For Work: Supply Chain Horrors In Kenya’s Tea Farms
What can be done?
Africa Sustainability Matters found that more women are living in poverty than men. This means that there needs to be a systemic approach to helping uplift women from poverty, especially as the gender pay gap contributes to women remaining poor. Women are also more likely to be victims of financial abuse when their partners control the purse strings, ensuring they can’t use their hard-earned money to seek any freedom. 5 Signs You Are Experiencing Financial Abuse In Your Relationship
In Kenya, many companies are taking austerity measures due to the increased costs of operations, higher taxes, and lower profit margins. The situation is similar in many countries around the world still facing inflation effects after the Coronavirus pandemic. The London Metropolitan University found that more women experienced increased financial abuse if their income was significantly lower than the liveable wage.
It’s clear that to reduce violence against women, it’s important to tackle poverty systemically and individually. Pushing for labour equality in the workplace ensures that women are paid just as high as men when they work the same positions. This also means they are given maternity leave and experience no discrimination when they’re disabled or sick. Removing barriers to women earning more money like having overly strict working routines, low-quality roles, and low pay for domestic labour reduces violence against women.
Employers should provide allowances for their female workers from maternity leave to having safe avenues for them to report exploitation. They should also pay workers a liveable wage regardless of the kind of labour they provide. Domestic managers need to be paid a lot more for the labour they provide and this way they can also receive more training and experience upward mobility in their roles. By placing more value on women’s labour, society can begin to take a turn for the better ensuring that women have more control of their futures and personhood. They can also avoid abusive relationships that they remain in for their financial survival. Making childcare accessible also makes it easier for women to go back to work and perform their roles better.
There are multiple causes for violence against women but one prevailing reason is systemic poverty. When governments, private institutions, and other stakeholders that can safeguard women’s labour work together to reduce women’s poverty, they take an actionable step in reducing gender-based violence.
Check out:
16 Days Of Activism: How Mass Media And Pop Culture Contribute To Violence Against Women
10 Types Of Gender-Based Violence We Don’t Talk About Enough
Types Of Domestic Abuse That Don’t Include Physical Abuse, And What Signs To Look Out For
8 Places That Domestic Abuse Victims Can Seek Help
Women And Equal Rights: Why This Is Still An Ongoing Fight
Sexual Exploitation On Kenyan Tea Farms Isn’t New. It’s Time For An Overhaul Of The Industry
