Oxfam seeks more aid for women

Oxfam Ireland today urged the Government to do more to address the  issue of devastating numbers of women living in poverty worldwide.

Representing 70 per cent of the world’s poor, women have been especially affected by price increases of more than 100 per cent for basic foodstuffs since 2008 in many developing countries.

Frequent drought in areas of east and west Africa have also taken their toll as women are mainly responsible for farming in those regions, according to Oxfam, which is holding a conference - Ending Poverty Starts with Women - in Dublin today.

“The disproportionate impact of poverty on women and girls is no accident” said Jim Clarken, chief executive of Oxfam Ireland. “It is the result of discrimination, or the denial of women’s basic human rights, rooted in the historical subordination of women in societies and cultures around the globe. Gender inequality remains the most pervasive and fundamental obstacle to the eradication of poverty and a guarantee of human rights for all.”

Although they work two thirds of the world’s working hours, women still only lay claim to 10 per cent of its income and one per cent of its property.

Oxfam is asking the Government to devote more of its aid budget to programmes for women in poverty.