Women make up 70% of the poverty population

A microcredit firm called Okiocredit has completed a study that looks at the percentages of women who are in poverty from country to country. The study finds that women make up 70% of the poverty population, and it remains around that percentage regardless of nation.

Okiocredit performs loans in the countries of Bulgaria, Kenya, Peru and the Philippines. We found the story about the study in the business website, BDaily.

Dr Shobha Arole, Oikocredit board president said: “A lack of access to basic education, economic and property rights means 70% of the world’s poor are female.

“These are the groups who are marginalised, victims of violence ad vulnerable in every sense of the word.”

Oikocredit offers microfinance to families in poverty around the globe, reaching 69 different countries, with 16.8 million people assisted by the private cooperative financial institution since it was established in 1975.
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One of the problems highlighted by the report is that even if microcredit is taken out in a women’s name, she will not necessarily have control over it.

The report said: “It is possible that a husband or male family members use the money, with the woman taking the microcredit simply because she is more eligible.

“Some writers state that women, instead of benefiting, actually suffer if they have access to microfinance funds. It is suggested that their husbands may see this as encouragement to decrease their contribution to the household.”