CDB Study Says Poverty Reduction Programs Should Be Gender Sensitive

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica, May 19, (CMC) – Caribbean policymakers are being urged to pay greater attention to the impact of poverty and poverty-reduction programs on women and households headed by women.

A Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) study is proposing fundamental re-focussing of targeted intervention programs as one means of making a significant impact on current poverty levels.

The study, “The Changing nature of poverty and inequality in the Caribbean-New Issues, New Solutions”, found that consistent with earlier studies, households headed by women who are not in a stable or visiting relationship, are the most vulnerable to economic shocks.

At the same time however, the analysis shows that while there have been some changes in the characteristics of the poor, over the period of the study, they have fundamentally remained the same, with a few differences across the Region.

While female-headed households (FHHs) are consistently defined as poor, for example, they are not a homogeneous group, but there are differences within this category, in relation to female heads not in union or heads in a visiting relationship.

“These results have implications for program participation and the indicators used to identify and target the poor since, in cases where FHHs are defined as a program target group, their blanket inclusion may result in targeting errors,” the study said.

The study found corroboration with the general literature on the impact of household size on the likelihood of being poor, but noted, that equally important, is the age and gender composition and family structure of the household, since members contribute differently to resources, possibly influenced by different coping strategies.

The study also found that the sector of employment of the household head also influences the probability of the family unit being poor.

In St. Lucia, Dominica and St. Kitts and Nevis, heads in the service and construction sectors were significantly more likely to be poor.

Given these findings, the study says it is important that a gender perspective is taken when looking at the impact of poverty and on poverty-reduction actions, with a view of achieving gender equality.

In tackling poverty, the study says policymakers need to be cognisant that, in implementing concerted actions and strategies, no one group should fare better than the other and no one should be left behind.