The 2022 Regional Multidimensional Poverty Index by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) highlights that 27.4% of women in the Dominican Republic experience poverty. Moreover, among the Latin American and Caribbean countries studied, the Dominican Republic came fourth in the region in regard to the prevalence of poverty-induced problems that women face. In light of this, several organizations are working to reduce poverty among women in the Dominican Republic.

Poverty Among Women in the Dominican Republic

According to the UNDP, the most prominent problems that Dominican women encounter include the lack of housing and the inaccessibility to the internet, affecting 50.6% and 66.3% of Dominican women respectively. As a whole, 40.4% of the population in the country is impacted by poverty as of 2022.

Moreover, poverty among Dominican women is also a result of the gender barriers that are not only present in the country but remain a major concern in the Caribbean region. According to data that the World Bank published, while adult literacy is nearly the same between men (95.1%) and women (95.3%) in 2021, the gap between employment for men and women remains disproportionately high in 2022. In the Dominican Republic, while 76.5% of men enter the labor force, the participation of women is only 52.5%. Furthermore, nearly 79% of women in the Dominican entered university as opposed to 38% of men. However, only 40% of STEM graduates in the Dominican Republic are women.

Taking Action

The United States Agency of International Development (USAID) aims to address gender inequality with the hopes of reducing poverty among women in the Dominican Republic. USAID introduced the Engendering Industries program in 2015 to tackle gender inequality in industries where the problem is prominent while promoting economic empowerment for women. In their recent partnership in 2021 with Dominican government organizations such as the Instituto Nacional de Aguas Potables y Alcantarillados (INAPA), a water utility company, USAID aims to establish gender equality in the industry.

Since their collaboration, INAPA has developed an extensive gender equality strategy that saw new training programs to combat sexual harassment in the workplace. Moreover, as of 2022, the company saw an increase in female hires, with 300 new female employees and the promotion of 75 existing employees to senior positions. This results in women making up 30% of new hires, 10 times more than the previous year.

Looking Ahead

By addressing gender inequality in the workplace, the Dominican Republic takes a crucial step in reducing poverty among women by ensuring that women are economically stable and self-sufficient. Moreover, the work of philanthropic organizations such as Food For The Poor (FFTP) aims to reduce the impact of poverty on Dominicans by providing support for essential needs. As of 2023, the charity has built 1719 housing units and 50 water projects to provide safe drinking water. FFTP has also supported improvements in education by constructing rural schools as well as developing a vocational training program specifically for women to increase their chances of employment.

The work of these public and private organizations helps to address the feminization of poverty in the Dominican Republic by supporting women to overcome gender barriers.

– Remigius Kim
Photo: Pixabay