Understanding Gender Inequality in Poverty and Social Exclusion through a Psychological Lens: Scarcities, Stereotypes and Suggestions

Poverty and social exclusion are a gendered phenomenon. They are rooted deeply in the stereotypes, biases, prejudices and discriminations against women, especially those suffering from poor living conditions. Unfortunately, gender inequality is manifested in most, if not all, major life domains. It is therefore important to understand the gender aspect of poverty and social exclusion through a psychological lens. We begin this chapter by introducing the concepts of multi-dimensional poverty and social exclusion with a sketch of the gender disparities displayed in these areas. We turn next to several mainstream psychological theories which have attempted to investigate and interpret the relationship between poverty and gender inequality from the dispositional, motivational, cognitive and behavioural perspectives. Finally, we evaluate the reliability, objectivity and generalisability of the reviewed theories and studies and offer suggestions for future research.