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Widows, Social Exclusion and the Poverty Trap

Aid agencies and charities have developed strategies to remedy some of the worst ills faced by the victims of conflict, poverty and disease, even though they and the combined efforts of governments and multilateral organizations appear powerless to eradicate such scourges at a comprehensive level. Whole communities in the developed as well as the developing world remain vulnerable and insecure. Thus there is no shortage of deserving cases for government and international assistance and support.

However, there is one category of people who receive little if any particular attention, even though they are especially vulnerable in the face of conflict, economic deprivation and disease. These are the world's widows, who instead of attracting sympathy and care from others more fortunate are very often shunned and excluded by the rest of society. By default, the children of widows suffer disproportionately too. They are not orphans, potentially eligible for state aid, charitable assistance or adoption, but remain the dependents of a single parent whose widow status may have driven her to the margins, without the education or skills to earn a wage and support a family.

The overall objective of the proposed project between Chatham House and The Loomba Trust, is to examine the status of widows as a distinct category in society, the better to understand why and how they may suffer discrimination and assess the implications for the perpetuation of human insecurity, conflict and poverty.

The intention is to combine two lines of inquiry: (1) the status of widowhood in social/cultural terms; and (2) the economic realities pertaining to widowhood in social/cultural context. The initial objective, therefore, will be to define the nature of the issue under investigation and thence what specific areas of research to pursue.

The work plan will therefore proceed in three stages:

Phase I - Initial Data Collection via the use of polling data issued on 23 June 2008 to coincide with International Widows Day. Read press release.

Phase II - Defining the Research Agenda by identifying the key themes with a group of scholars and practitioners with relevant expertise from a range of disciplines, backgrounds and countries.

Phase III - Qualitative Research, as identified by Phase II and depending on available funding.

For more information please contact Keith Burnet.