WOMEN AND POVERTY

THE DIFFERENT FACES OF WOMEN’S VULNERABILITY

Abstract

The objective of this study is to verify the effects of poverty as an intensifier of women's vulnerability, as well as to examine whether the legal system is prepared to deal with this challenge. Certainly, women are part of vulnerable and minority groups. From this perspective, when we consider intersectionality, we can understand how these vulnerabilities intensify when a woman finds herself in a situation of hyposufficiency. It is clear that the definition of gender is a product of social constructions, shaped by power relations, with women historically relegated to a submissive role. Thus, realizing poverty is a characteristic that intensifies the vulnerability of these groups. In this sense, when we analyze the social role of poor women, it is possible to see that this group occupies a space of extreme vulnerability, often isolated from important social roles and overloaded with domestic services, in addition to intense fragility in family relationships. Therefore, it is concluded that the solution to this discrepancy probably lies in structural change, such as programs that promote poor women's access to decent work opportunities; education and awareness with initiatives aimed at deconstructing stereotypes; development of social and community support networks that can provide emotional support and implementation of public policies that address the structural causes of poverty and gender inequality, as detailed in the conclusion of this work.