Globally, women are poorer than men. As the main caregivers of children, poverty hits them the hardest of all. For women living in extreme poverty, every day is a struggle to survive. They do not even have the means or education to adequately consider the negative repercussions on their environment or the advantages of sustainable living.

The feminization of poverty is a change in the levels of poverty. This is usually biased against women or female headed households. More specifically, it is an increase in the difference in the levels of poverty among women and men or among female versus male and couple headed households. It can also mean an increase of the role that gender inequalities have as a determinant of poverty.

Gender inequality remains one of the central challenges of the 21st century in spite of all the progress the world had made. Statistics from international studies indicate that two-thirds of all illiterate individuals worldwide are women and they own only one per cent of global assets.

Feminized poverty is still a real issue which needs critical attention by all African governments. According to the UNICEF 'Gender Equality-Big picture' Report for 2007, women perform 66% of the world's work, produce 50% of food but earn only 1% of property. "Women receive only 10 per cent of worldwide income and perform more than 70 per cent of unpaid work around the globe and two-thirds of the poorest of the poor in the world are women." Women also in developing countries own only about 10 per cent of all farmland and hold less than two per cent of all titles, although they produce up to 80 per cent of staple foods. "Women are more often affected and jeopardized by poverty. Lacking powers of self control and decision making powers, women once having fallen into poverty have far fewer chances to remedy their situation...", Rodenberg, 2004.

What causes the impoverishment of women may also cause the impoverishment of men. Therefore, what matters most in understanding the causes of the feminization of poverty is not what causes poverty in aggregate terms but the gender inequalities behind poverty.

In fact, since feminization is a process, what is crucial is the changes in these gender inequalities or the factors that result in gender inequalities.

The feminization of poverty may be caused by changes in dissolution of marital unions; constitution of families without these unions; higher male mortality; gender division of labor and consumption within the household, gender roles regulating the control over household resources; barriers to education of girls, educational segregation by sex and lack of women specific health attention. Other are factors are contributory pensions systems reproducing previous labor market inequalities, lower access to pensions and social assistance by women, inequality in benefit concession or in benefit values in targeted policies; Occupational segregation, intra-career mobility, differential levels of employment in paid work, wage discrimination, duration of work shifts. Also included, especially in developing countries are property rights, discrimination in the judiciary system, constrains in community and political life.

Noting this disparity, Ms. Akua Sena Dansua, Ghana's Minister for Women and Children Affairs has said that "The increasing dissolution of marital unions, control of household resources in favor of men, barriers to education of girls, inequality in social protection, labour market inequalities, discrimination in public and political life as well as failure to take into account gender perspectives in development planning and resource allocation are the main causes of feminization of poverty." The Minister added that there were many other reasons why women were poorer than men. "These include lower wages for women, failed social safety nets, fewer educational opportunities, substandard health care and lack of employee protections and benefits such as paid maternity leave and child care".

Because of the many challenges being faced by women, an International Gender Conference was held in Accra in September, 2009 on the theme: Feminization of Poverty: A Gender Challenge. The three-day Conference, organized by the Gender Development Institute (GDI), Ghana, with sponsorship from UNIFEM sought to equip delegates from NGOs, CSOs, District Development Planning Officers, Education Units, District Assemblies and development agencies of some Embassies with practical tools to understand monitoring and analysis of gender responsive budgeting.

It was recognized that the way communities are set up and the positions that women occupy in traditional societies make them victims of various forms of discrimination. Women have been combining all work they do in the economic field with their household chores. They care for the family when they are capable and when even they are not, and cater for the young ones, the old and the sick.

HIV and AIDS, another challenge that women face, also affect the issue of feminization of poverty especially in Africa. Not only are women more susceptible to the virus, they are the ones who take care of those who have been affected by the virus. Their efforts become a draining exercise physically and emotionally and leaves very little time and energy for them to do other things.

Another pressing issue that is affecting women currently is the global economic crisis- the financial and food crisis. The gender impacts of these shifts are hardly reported. The global economic crisis is expected to plunge a further 22 million women into unemployment which will lead to a female unemployment rate of 7.4% as compared to 7 % for men, states Mrs. Afua B. Ansre, National Programme Director, United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) in Ghana, quoting from (ILO, Global Employment Trends for Women 2009).

According to her, "This is because women are concentrated in insecure jobs in the informal sector with low basic income and few rights. Women tend to have few skills and basic education, if they are lucky, and usually they are the first to be fired." In fact, the economic crisis has brought up more challenges for women because they still have to look after their families even if they lose their livelihoods. The global economic recession is also beginning to impact on remittance which is a major source of income for women's economic empowerment. The crisis is not sparing migration. It has a heavy toll on migration and negatively impacts on the incomes of female migrants and their families.

One major way that poverty among women could be solved is by paying close attention to a number of issues that many governments have already begun in gender mainstreaming and gender responsive budgeting. These are key to ensuring that women's concerns were taken care of in national development efforts.

The concept for strategy of Gender mainstreaming was established at the fourth World Conference on Women held in Beijing in 1995 as the internationally agreed approach for governments and development practitioners to promote gender equality.

Gender mainstreaming, as defined by the UN Economic and Social Council, is a process of assessing the implications for women and men of any planned action, including legislation, policies or programs, in all areas of gender issues and at all levels.

Governments all over the world are increasingly creating an enabling environment for investing in women. It is worth noting that 50 countries including Ghana have introduced gender responsive budgeting and many are abolishing laws that prohibit women's access to land, property ownership, credits and markets. These actions should trickle down to the Ministries, Departments and Agencies and the various Ministries of Finance in particular. They should be sensitized to apply the concept of gender budgeting in its process of preparing national annual budgets.

Gender responsive budgeting in no doubt is an important political tool to redistribute national resources. This is why it is crucial for Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and other partners to equip themselves to monitor the system to ensure its effectiveness on women, men, boys and girls in our societies.

Gender responsive budgeting should not be seen as making a separate national or organizational budget for women's issues but rather it should be seen as promoting gender equality as well as supporting other policy objectives, such as more efficient use of resources enhancing effectiveness of service delivery; enhancing the evidence-based nature of policy making; and supporting the consumer-focus or friendliness of the government expenditure.

African countries should make room for sufficient allocation of financial resources to gender mainstreaming activities. This has been demonstrated by the government of Ghana, who like others has over the years demonstrated its commitment to gender mainstreaming through concrete actions. Unfortunately, an important constraint in realizing women's rights and thus achieving the Millennium Development Goals is the inability of governments to account properly to women's needs.

At the 5th International Gender Conference in Accra, Ms. Akua Sena Dansua hinted that "Cabinet had given approval for Ministries, Departments and Agencies and District Assemblies to implement Gender Responsive Budgeting and to set aside funds to address gender inequality from next year."

She indicated that "we need to ensure that all aspects of development fully recognizes women's economic contributions, and supports their economic rights and integration."

Such investment, she revealed, would yield higher productivity and faster economic growth; reduce poverty and provide returns for generations by reducing maternal and child mortality; and improve education and health care of children and families.

The Minister called for a "re-think in public policy making to promote women integration and social advancement, through increased budgetary allocations to address gender-inequality increase employment generation and productive growth as well as financial services to women."

She asked government and Gender Advocates to create a transparent, stable and predictable investment climate to enhance women's employment, productivity, economic and socio-political empowerment.

Ms. Dansua encouraged women and gender advocates to work assiduously because not only does the incidence of feminized poverty depict the gender inequalities in our societies, it also depicts blatant disregard for basic human rights.

In Ghana for example, women play important roles in society. The Speaker of Parliament, Mrs. Joyce Bamford-Addo, Professor Jane Opoku Agyeman, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast, as well as the elevation of Mrs. Justice Georgina Wood to Chief Justice, the appointment of some women Ministers and some women holding key positions at different levels, is evident that women could get to the top if they pursued higher and quality education.

Gender equality is both a goal in itself and a pre-requisite for reaching the Millennium Development Goals. This is because empowered women bring new ideas and perspectives to decision-making and increase the chances of education and employment for the next generation. When women have access to finance, credit, technology and markets, they are likely to expand their businesses and contribute effectively to growth and development. Therefore, investing in women and mobilizing them to participate in the socio- economic development of Ghana 'is not only the right thing to do but a smart one.

In an address on "Mobilizing African Women for Economic Development" at the New York University, Mrs. Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings, a Former First Lady of Ghana stated "Gender equality produces a double dividend- it benefits both women and children. Healthy, educated and empowered women have healthy, educated and confident daughters and sons.

Gender equality will not only empower women to overcome poverty and live full and productive lives, but will better the lives of children, families and countries as well. A change for the better of anyone of these realms influences women's equality in others and has profound and positive impact on a child's well-being and development."

"Promoting gender equality and empowering of women contributes to achieving all the other goals from reducing poverty and hunger to saving children's lives, improving maternal health, ensuring universal education, combating HIV and AIDS, Malaria and other diseases, and ensuring environmental sustainability," Mrs. Rawlings added.

There is also the need for civil societies and political parties to strengthen support and build the capacity of women to run for political office.

Traditional authorities and religious organizations should not make it difficult for women to participate in politics. They should rather support them in this laudable endeavour.

It is high time men became advocates for women in such issues as just wages, equality of women with men in workplace and equal parenting and family life.

There can be no sustainable development if women and girls are left behind. We need to ensure that all aspects of development fully recognize women's economic contributions and support their economic rights and integration.

We need to rethink public policy making to promote women integration and social advancement. This can be achieved through increased budgetary allocations to address gender inequality, increased employment generation and productive growth as well as provide financial services to women.

Women empowerment requires tough approach from women and national leaders to galvanize their colleagues to take up the challenge. It is critically important for policy makers to listen to and work with women to improve their positions and thereby accelerate Africa's development. It is therefore imperative that a comprehensive approach is taken by African Governments in conjunction with development Agencies to remove the social, economic and legal constraints facing women.