Invisible Women, Invisible Problems
Although accurate information is limited, it has been estimated
that there are some 258 million widows around the world, and nearly one
in ten live in extreme poverty. Data on women’s status are often not
disaggregated by marital status, so at every level of gender statistics,
from national to global, widows are not visible. Yet we know that many
elderly widows face multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination,
based on their gender, age, rural location or disability. Others are
still young when they lose their husbands, perhaps as a result of
conflict or because they were married as children to a much older man.
These women face a long lifetime of widowhood.
Once widowed, women in many countries often confront a denial
of inheritance and land rights, degrading and life-threatening mourning
and burial rites and other forms of widow abuse.
Widows are often evicted from their homes and physically
abused – some even killed – even by members of their own family. In many
countries, a woman’s social status is inextricably linked to her
husband’s, so that when her husband dies, a woman no longer has a place
in society. To regain social status, widows are expected to marry one
of their husband’s male relatives, sometimes unwillingly. For many, the
loss of a husband is only the first trauma in a long-term ordeal.
In many countries, widowhood is stigmatized and seen as a
source of shame. Widows are thought to be cursed in some cultures and
are even associated with witchcraft. Such misconceptions can lead to
widows being ostracized, abused and worse.
The children of widows are often affected, both emotionally
and economically. Widowed mothers, now supporting their families alone,
are forced to withdraw children from school and to rely on their labour.
Moreover, the daughters of widows may suffer multiple deprivations,
increasing their vulnerability to abuse.
Such cruelties are often seen as justified in terms of
cultural or religious practice. Impunity for abuses of the rights of
widows is rife, with few perpetrators ever successfully brought to
justice. Even in countries where legal protection is more inclusive,
widows can suffer social marginalization.
