LOGIT APPROACH TO GENDER AND POVERTY IN SELECTED AFRICAN COUNTRIES

Abstract

The rate of poverty in developing countries, especially in African countries, has beenalarming in recent years with the proportion of people living on less than a dollar per dayincreasing. The current widening dimensions of poverty and general economic problemssignify that a high level of income inequality exists in many sub-Saharan African countriesalthough disparities exist between countries and regions. Furthermore, poverty has beenindeed feminised. Despite the vital role women play in society, there has been an increase inthe proportion of women within the poverty cycle compared to men. Using microdata fromthe Afrobarometer website, these conjectures were examined with their impact on economicdevelopment as a whole. The result of the logit approach conducted on four selected regionsconsisting of 36 countries shows that good economic condition reduces the incidence ofpoverty while access to medical treatment, age, and education (primary and secondary)increases poverty in the selected region. This study also came up with policy prescriptionsthat will help in eradicating inequality and poverty in particular