Faezeh Zarei; Soheila Alirezanejad
Abstract
Although poverty is a common phenomenon, no group suffers as much from the negative effects of poverty as children. The main question of the article is to ascertain whether the experience of poverty differs between girls and boys? In this article, an ethnographic method is used to collect information ...
Read More
Although poverty is a common phenomenon, no group suffers as much from the negative effects of poverty as children. The main question of the article is to ascertain whether the experience of poverty differs between girls and boys? In this article, an ethnographic method is used to collect information from 30 children (16 girls and 14 boys) aged 10 to 17 who have experienced a life of poverty. Data analysis was performed using conventional qualitative content analysis. Findings show that girls and boys experience similar and different experiences of poverty at the same time. While the lack of clothing, housing, and food is similarly experienced and perceived by girls and boys, the fact that girls work at home, their lack of access to public space becomes extra challenges for them. Prolonged stay at home makes access to private space at home more important for girls. On the other hand, the division of gender labor in early childhood is strictly applied to girls and boys in poor families. As boys gain access to money, the resources available to them inside and outside the home increase, but waged labor from an early age increases the physical and psychological stress for boys. A better understanding of child poverty due to gender characteristics can lead to more effective welfare and protection policies.
