Asuncion, Dave

2022-20916

Topic

How feminization of poverty impacts the vicious circle of poverty

Claim

Women have a higher chance of experiencing impoverishment than men because of the

patriarchy embedded in our culture. It is one of the silent but leading causes of the vicious circle

of poverty.

Specific Purpose

To make the audiences aware of the feminization of poverty and explain to them how this

unknown factor dramatically contributes to the worsening growth of poverty worldwide.

Justification

People often overlook that gender is one of the leading causes of impoverishment.

Poverty has a woman's face, as they say; nevertheless, it is not an area of concern for so many

people. We act as if there is no problem regarding gender. However, it is blatant, and we cannot

deny that gender and poverty are intertwined, and ending extreme poverty is impossible without

tackling gender. Gender inequality should be regarded as a fundamental cause of poverty and not

just a symptom.

Nonetheless, when we say gender, it pertains to all, but there is a bias toward women.

Feminization of poverty exists, and it is not a myth. It just means that women are at greater risk

of poverty than men. According to Rodriguez, L. (2020), extreme poverty disproportionately

affects women, and extreme poverty would not be eradicated unless women were considered

equal to men worldwide.

Women are prone to stereotypes, where they are treated as a second-class citizens in the

human order. They experience multiple burdens where they are engaged in different roles
Asuncion, Dave
2022-20916

rendering labor to men but still unrecognized and undervalued. We also have a culture that

considers women a footnote to men. Marginalization or discrimination is rampant where women

are not given the proper respect and dignity to be a member of the human race. Moreover,

violence against women, class oppression, dehumanization, and sexist language are just a few

issues women are suffering every day at the hands of men and the culture of patriarchy. The

vicious circle of poverty lingers mainly due to the feminization of poverty which is rooted in the

culture of patriarchy.

Since the goal is to spread awareness about this unrecognized and silent issue globally

concerning gender and poverty, this topic will be critical and ethical issues might arise: the topic

of feminization of poverty has a bias toward women, and another gender might be excluded or

feel discomfort. According to Herrick, J. (2018), rhetoric is adapted to an audience. Thus, the

effective remedy to deter ethical issues from emerging is conducting an audience analysis to

ensure that the message fits their frame of reference and that inherent motives will be aligned

with the audience. If there are many women, we can make a narrative that undoubtedly relates to

the struggles of women daily concerning poverty. If there are quite a few men, the choice of

words should be analyzed appropriately. The word that we will be using should not be

detrimental to all genders. In addition, utilizing the Social Judgement theory to identify the ego

involvement of the audiences towards the issue, specifically, knowing where they stand or if they

are ready to hear all about the topic, can be a feasible way to grasp the strategy that we should

use in framing the topic so the audience might have an easier time accepting it.

After having the plan to prevent any ethical issues from occurring and weighing the

audiences to see if they are prepared to hear the problems that will be tackled, the incorporation

of Aristotelian qualities of rhetorical style will be imposed in which composed of ethos, pathos,
Asuncion, Dave
2022-20916

and logos. It is a good thing to use since the topic is about a social issue, so every detail must be

logical and sound reasoning. Moreover, there will be no difficulties in including pathos and ethos

because it is the poverty that we are talking about, and it will be easy for us to target their

emotions. Being a community development major can also help. Lastly, applying Monroe's

Motivated Sequence must be the best for the organizational structure since it has always been our

strategy to do an exciting introduction to get our audience's attention. We plan to make them

close their eyes and imagine a world without poverty, hunger, and inequality. Then, we will

introduce the topic, what it is, and how it has become a social problem in relation to the cycle of

poverty. We will eventually explain the solution and make them visualize if the problem

has/hasn't been resolved. Afterward, we will call them to take action concerning the issue.

Furthermore, we will never forget to articulate our speech with conviction; tone and how we say

it is also imperative in performing a persuasive speech.

While observing the Aristotelian qualities of rhetoric, having a sound audience analysis,

incorporating the Social Judgement Theory, and improving our newfound weakness in public

speaking based on the Oral Communication Apprehension Questionnaire of Del Villar, we can

persuade these people; now believing in our inherent capacity and confidence is the challenge.
Asuncion, Dave
2022-20916

References

Rodriguez, L. (2020). We'll Never End Extreme Poverty Without Tackling Gender Inequality,

Too. Retrieved from https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/how-can-gender-equality-reduce-

poverty/

Herrick, J. (2018). The History and Theory of Rhetoric. Retrieved from

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1KYzJCzdwEfRyPZ1YB9atbjPrwbtNcWeW