Children of Incarcerated Parents

Measures of Poverty
An important aspect of analyzing the feminization of poverty is the understanding of how
it is measured. It is inaccurate to assume that income is the only deprivation that affects
women’s poverty. To examine the issue from a multidimensional perspective, there
must first be accurate and indices available for policy makers interested in gender
empowerment. Often aggregate indices are criticized for their concentration on
monetary issues, especially when data on women's income is sparse and groups
women into one large, undifferentiated mass. Three indexes often examined are
Gender-related Development Index, Gender Empowerment Measure, and Human
Poverty Index. The first two are gendered- indices, in that they specifically gather data
on women to evaluate gender inequalities, and are useful in understanding disparities in
gender opportunities and choices. HPI, however, focuses on deprivation measures
rather than income measures. GDI adjusts the Human Development Index in three
ways:
Shows longevity, or life-expectancy of females and males
Education or knowledge
Decent standard of living
The aim of this index is to rank countries according to both their absolute level of human
development and relative scores on gender equality. Although this index has increased
government attention to gender inequality and development, its three measures have
often been criticized for neglecting important aspects. Its relevance, however, continues
to be integral to the understanding of the feminization of poverty, as countries with lower
scores may then be then stimulated to focus on policies to assess and reduce gender
disparities. GEM measures female political and income opportunities through:
Analyzing how many seats of government are occupied by women
Proportion of management positions occupied by women
Female share of jobs
Estimated female to male income ratio
HPI is a multidimensional, non-income based approach. It takes into consideration four
dimensions:
Survival
Knowledge
Decent standard of living
Social participation
This index is useful in understanding and illuminating the differences between human
poverty (which focuses on the denial of basic rights, such as dignity and freedom) and
income poverty. For example, despite the U.S.'s high income stability, it is also ranked
among the highest developed nations in human poverty. In her article, "Towards a
Gendered Human Poverty Measure", Elizabeth Durbin critiques HPI and expands on
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