Personal meanings, experiences, and coping strategies for poverty of women 4P's beneficiaries

Abstract

This is a phenomenological study which sought to describe the experiences of poverty of women Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) beneficiaries, their personal understanding of poverty, how their membership in 4Ps has affected their experiences of poverty, and their strategies for coping with difficulties associated with poverty. The participants of this study were four women 4Ps beneficiaries residing in Bay-bay Sur, Miagao, Iloilo. An interview guide questionnaire was constructed to gather narratives of poverty experiences from the participants. The results showed that personal meanings of poverty and the experiences of poverty among the participants are generally similar. All of the participants reported that 4Ps lessened their poverty experience in a relative sense. They all believed that daily struggles of inadequacy of basic needs could be fought by hard work. Lastly, all the participants believed that education is the key to their economic mobility and better way of life.