The lexical priority of rights: basic abilities vs. eradication of povertyI. IntroductionThe feminization of poverty is a phenomenon in which women represent the majority of the world's poor. “Cycles of poverty” are reinforced by growing inequality between men and women. Poor women in developing countries are particularly vulnerable, where they are often deprived of political rights and decision-making as well as basic services, such as health care and education. Feminist theorists have attempted to analyze this phenomenon in order to better understand the fundamental causes of women's vulnerability. Martha Nussbaum argues that the feminization of poverty is primarily due to the failure of governments to provide women with basic capabilities. Susan Moller Okin argues that Nussbaum's capabilities approach is insufficient to address the vulnerability of poor women and that protecting social and economic rights will break the gender-based cycle of poverty. This article will argue that the provision of basic capabilities and individual rights should take precedence over social and economic rights in order to combat the fundamental problems of gender inequality. Through the examination of the capabilities approach and Okin's critique of it, this article will show that fundamental individual rights must be guaranteed before socio-economic rights are obtained.II. Women and the capabilities approachThe effects of poverty on women have been detrimental, particularly with the rise of globalization in which the dynamics of economic neoliberalism have widened the inequality gap between men and women, particularly in developing countries. Gender disparities have not only been a consequence of wage disparity...... middle of document ......on poverty "in relation to overall gender indices". Journal of Human Development 7 (2): 201-220 United Nations. (2000). “The feminization of poverty” Division for the Advancement of Women. Retrieved November 22, 2011 from .Fukuda-Parr, S. (1999). "What does the feminization of poverty mean? It's not just a lack of income". Feminist economics. 5(2). 99-103Nussbaum, M. (2010). Creating capabilities: the human development approach. Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. pp. 19Okin, SM (2003). “Poverty, well-being and gender: what matters, who is heard? Philosophy and public affairs. 31(3). pp.293.Ibid. 294Ibid. 296Ibid. 302Nussbaum, M. (2000). “Religion and women’s human rights” in Sex and Social Justice. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 87Ibid..103