At the Beijing Platform of Action in 1996 the United Nations stated that poverty has various manifestations, including lack of food and productive resources sufficient to ensure a sustainable livelihood; hunger and malnutrition; ill health; limited or lack of access to education and other basic services; increasing morbidity and mortality from illness; homelessness and inadequate housing; unsafe environments; and social discrimination and exclusion. It is also characterised by lack of participation in decision-making and in civil, social and political life. It occurs in all countries - as mass poverty in many developing countries and as pockets of poverty in developed countries.

Both women and men in poverty would recognise the key elements on this list. But gender inequality means women and men's experience of poverty is different, and therefore so are the solutions.

Poor women outnumber poor men. It's impossible to say precisely how much, though most agree the imbalance is worsening. You often hear the statistic, ‘Women are 70% of the world's poor'. But some statisticians say it is closer to 55 or 60%. However, all agree that the figures for women's poverty are worsening. Current ways of measuring poverty don't pick up gender differences for several reasons.

These reasons include that poverty statistics usually focus on households, not individuals, so they don't pick up on unequal treatment within a family. However, female-headed households can be counted, and it is clear that the majority, though not all, are economically poorer than households headed by men. The poverty measurements only focus on economic want and not on powerlessness, violence and abuse. The exhaustion caused by women's heavy and often unequal workloads are also excluded from statistical research.

Poverty measurements give a single view of household poverty at a particular time. They don't capture changes over time. Women's livelihoods tend to be less secure than men's, so women and their dependents are vulnerable to sudden crises and repeated periods of impoverishment. Official economic breakdown also focuses only on production undertaken for cash. It ignores production for household consumption, as well as all the unpaid work of caring for family and household. This leads to inappropriate and unfair economic policies which ignore the vast contribution women make to development, and further entrench gender inequality.

Ngabe ububha buhlobene kanjani nodaba lokulinganiswa  ngokobulili?

Engqungqutheleni yase Beijing ngonyaka ka 1996 abenhlangano yezizwe baveza ukuthi ububha bukhahlamezana ngezindlela ezehlukene,nokubalwa kuzona ukungondleki ukungafundi, ukwenyuka kwezinga lokufa; ukungabi nakhaya, kanye nokuzithola sewucwaswa.  Lokhu kubandakanya nokuzithola sewuthathelwa izinqumo ezibalulekile empilweni yakho. 

Lena ke inkinga eamile emazweni amaningi ikakhulu kazi lawo asathuthuka.   Okuvelayo ukuthi abesimame kanye nabesilisa bazibona ngokusobala lezinto inkinga bese ibasekutheni abanikeziwe amandla ngokulinganayo ekutheni babhekane nazo.  Lapha kugqma udaba lokuthi abesimame nabesilisa abakhahlanyezwa ngendlela efanayo ngububha emphakathini.  Baningi abesimame abantulayo kunabesilisa.  Nakuba ucwaningo olwenziwa ngabantu abehlukene luye luveze izibalo ezehlukene ekutheni ngabe singakanani isibalo sabesimame abantulayo kodwa ke kukodwa abavumelana ngakho kokuti abesimame yibona abaningi kubantu abahluphekayo uma kuqhathaniswa nabesilisa.

Amakhaya asingethwe ngabesimame yiwona navama ukwentula ukwedlula asingethwe ngabesilisa.  Izimpilo zabesimame abasebubheni zibonakala zithwele kanzima kunabesilisa ngoba kubona akukho nokuphepha.  Owesimame akabhekani nomsebenzi wokuletha imali nje kuphela ekhaya kodwa uphinde abe nemisebenzi engumthwalo kuyena siqu sakhe edinga amandla akhe.  Lokhu ekugcineni kuveza ngokusobala ukuti nakuba behlaselwa ngububha nabesilisa kodwa izinga alifani nakwabesimame abaphinde bacwaseke ngokobulili babo bebukelwa phansi ngabanye abantu. 

Idibana njani indlala nokungalingani ngokwesini?

Kwiqonga lentshukumo laseBeijing ngonyaka ka1996, izizwe ezimanyeneyo zabalula ukuba, intlupheko ibonwa njengebandakanya ukunqongophala kokutya neenkonzo ezaneleyo ukuziphilisa; indlala nokungondleki; impilo ehexayo; ukungeneli kungenjalo ukungafikeleli kwimfundo, nezinye iinkonzo ezingundoqo; ukonyuka kwezinga lokusweleka ngenxa yezigulo; ukungabi namakhaya kwanezindlu ezisemgangathweni; iindawo ezisingqongileyo ezingakhuselekanga; kwanocalu - calulo nokungabandakanywa ekuhlaleni.

Ikwabonakala ngokunqongophala kokuthabatha inxaxheba ekuthabatheni izigqibo ngokusemthethweni, ekuhlaleni nakwezopolitiko. Le meko ikho kuwo onke amazwe - njengentlupheko emandla kuninzi lwamazwe asakhasayo, ukanti intlupheko efumaneka kwiindawo ezithile kumazwe ahluthayo.

Ngokulinganayo, abaseTyhini namadoda asokolayo bangaziqwalasela ezona nkalo zibalulekileyo kolu luhlu. Kodwa ukungalingani ngokwesini kuthetha ukuba, abaseTyhini namadoda banamava ohlukeneyo ngentsokolo, kungokunjalo nakwizisombululo.

AbaseTyhini abasokolayo bangaphezulu kwamadoda. Kunzima ukuchaza elona nani, nangona uninzi luvuma ukuba oku kungalingani kuye kuba kubi. Umane usiva kwiinkcukacha - manani  ukuba, abaseTyhini baziipesenti ezingama70 zabantu abasokolayo kwihlabathi jikekelele. Kodwa ezinye iingcali zeenkcukacha - manani zithi, bafikelela kwiipesenti ezingama55 kungenjalo ama60. Nangona kunjalo, zonke ziyavumelana ukuba, inani labaseTyhini abasokolayo lenyuka ngendlela engummangaliso. Iindlela ezikhoyo zokukhangela intsokolo aziyithabathi iyantlukwano ngokwesini, ngezizathu ezithile.

Ezi zizathu zibandakanya ukuba iinkcukacha - manani zentsokolo, zidla ngokuqwalasela imizi hayi umntu ngamnye, kungoko ke zingayiqwalaseli imeko yokungalingani kwiintsapho. Kodwa ke imizi ekhokelwa ngabaseTyhini ingabalwa, kwaye kuyacaca ukuba, uninzi nangona ingeyiyo yonke, iyasokola ngokwezezimali kunekhokelwa ngamadoda. Iindlela zokuqwalaselwa kwentsokolo kujoliswa kuphela kwiimfuno zezoqoqosho hayi ukungabinamandla, udushe kwanokuxhatshazwa.

Ukudinwa okubangelwa yimithwalo yabaseTyhini enzima nengalinganiyo akubandakanywa kuphando lwezi nkcukacha - manani.

Iindlela zokuqwalasela intsokolo, zinika uluvo olunye lwentsokolo kwimizi ngethuba elithile. Azizibandakanyi iinguqu ezenzekayo emva kwethuba. Indlela yokuphila kwabaseTyhini, ibonakala ingakhuselekanga kuneyamadoda, ngoko ke abaseTyhini nabaxhomekeke kubo, bababuthathaka kwiimeko ezinzima ezithi zibekho ngamathuba athile. Iimeko zoqoqosho ezimbi nazo zibeka umnwe kuphela kwimveliso eyenzelwa imali. Ibethwa ngoyaba imveliso eyenzelwa ukutya ekhayeni, kwanomsebenzi ongahlawulelwayo wokukhathalela amalungu osapho nomzi ngokubanzi. Le meko ikhokelela kwimigaqo engeyiyo yezoqoqosho nengalinanziyo igalelo labaseTyhini kuphuhliso, ukanti ikwandisa ukungalingani ngokwesini.

Bofuma bo amanna jwang le ho se lekalekane ka bong?

Ka 1996 sebokeng sa ‘Beijing Platform of Action'  mokga wa kopano tsa matjhaba (United Nations) o itse bofutsana bo na le ditlamorao tse mpe, jwaloka ho hloka dijo le disebediswa tsa ho etsa dihlahiswa tse lekaneng ho iphedisa; tlala le ho se fepehe hantle mmeleng; thuto e tlase kapo ho se be le monyetla wa ho ithuta; ho hloka bodulo; ho phahama ha bofifi le mafu a bakwang ke ho kula; tikoloho e sa bolokehang; le ho kgenthollwa setjhabeng.  Ditlamorao tsena di bonahala hape ka hore basadi ba sebe le seabo ditulong tsa ho nka diqeto le bophelong ba setjhaba ka kakaretso le dipoloting, mme sena se etsahala dinaheng tsohle.

Basadi le banna ba itlhophereng ba tla bona sesosa sa bofuma letotong lena. Empa ho se lekalekane ka bong ho bolela hore basadi le banna ba itlhophara ka mekgwa e sa tshwaneng, ka hoo ditharollo tsa bona ha di tshwane.

Basadi ba itlhophereng ba feta banna ba palo.  Ho thata ho bea lenane la bona le ha bongata bo dumela hore ho se lekalekane hona ho ntse ho tota le ho feta pele. Kamehla o utlwa dipalo-palo tse reng ‘dipesente tse 70 tsa basadi lefatsheng ba kojwana-di-mahetleng'.  Empa boradipalo-palo ba bang ba re palo ena e haufi le dipesente tse 55 kapo tse 60.  Le ha ho le jwalo, bohle ba dumela hore palo ya basadi ba itlhophereng e nyoloha haholo. Mekgwa e teng ya ho kala bofuma ha e kgone ho bona phapang pakeng tsa bong tlasa mabaka a mangata. Mabaka ana a kenyeletsa hore dipalo-palo hangata di shebana le malapa fela, e seng motho ka mong, ka hoo ha di kgone ho bona tshwaro e sa lekaneng ka malapeng.  Le ha ho le jwalo malapa a tlasa basadi a ka nna a balellwa mona, mme ho hlakile hore ba bangata, le ha e se kaofela ha bona, ha a ba tjhelete ho feta malapa a tlasa banna.  Dikala tsa bofuma di shebana le ho hloka tjhelete, e seng ho hloka matla, tlatlapo le tlhekefetso.  Mokgathala le mosebetsi wa basadi o moholo, o thata, hape o sa lekaneng hangata ha e  balellwe dipatlisisong.

Dikala tsa bofuma di fana ka lehlakore le leng fela la bofuma malapeng ka nako e itseng.  Ha di kenyeletse diphetoho tse tsamayang le dinako. Bophelo ba basadi ha bo ya bolokeha ho feta ba banna, ka hoo basadi le ba tlasa tlhokomelo ya bona ba kotsing ya mathata a hlahang ka tshhohanyetso le diketsahalo tse iphetaphetang tsa tlala.  Ho kgaolwa dikoto ha ikonomi semmuso le hona ho shebana le tlhahiso tse ka etsetswang ho kenya tjhelete.  Ha e shebe dihlahiswa tse etsetswang ho sebediswa malapeng, le mosebetsi ohle o sa putsweng wa ho hlokomela ba leloko le lelapa.  Sena se tswala dipolisi tsa moruo tse se nang toka, tse sa natseng mosebetsi o moholo oo basadi ba o etsang kahong naha, mme se ntshetsa pele h o se lekalekane ka bong.