Inflation rate 2022: Wetin women on minimum wage give up for 2022 sake of high price and cost of living

Many women wey dey on minimum wage or women wey dia money near minimum wage around di world, dis year, don give up on somethings dem still fit afford 12 months ago sake of di rising cost of living.

We follow women from four kontris tok on tins dem dey do without sake of say e don cost, wey be say before, e dey very cheap and dem dey fit afford to buy am.

We also follow some women wey dia salary increase tok, sake of change for goment policy.

No more Golden Morn or Corn Flakes

One Nigerian teacher, Rebecca Ogbonna say e don reach seven months now since she last feed her pikin dem dia favourite breakfast cereal.

Since October, inflation on food tanda for 23% year-on-year. 

"Di tins wey I dey buy for 1,000 naira ($2.25), before na 3,000 or more now," Rebecca tok.

Dis one mean say no more Golden Morn, one maize-based instant porridge wey Nestle dey produce. Na wetin she plus her four pikin dem bin dey chop dem go school before but now she dey run am herself.

"I go buy corn, beans, then grind am or soak am inside water, I go leave am comot for house," she tok.

- Minimum wage: 1,212 reals ($225) per month

- Last rise: December 2021 (10%), and due to rise again this month

- Annual inflation: 5.9% in November 2022

Liquid washing soap

Jussara Bacello from Rio de Janeiro tok say, wen she come back from her regular shopping trip, her bag no dey full again as before, like e dey full like one year ago.

Household cleaning products na one area wia she don cut down cost and dat na for liquid soap wey dem take dey carry wash something, she say she no dey buy am again.

Wetin she dey do now na to stop dey dey throwey di deep-frying oil wey she don condemn and use am make soap. One of her neighbour sabi do am well-well.

"I go use di oil cook, wen I no fit use am again, I go pour am inside plastic bottle, give one of my neigbhour to turn am into soap," she tok.

- Minimum wage: 30,000 naira ($70) per month, though higher in some states

- Last increase: 2019

- Annual inflation: 21.5% in November 2022

- Di neighbour learn di trick wen she dey work for one recycling company. Oil wey dem don use fry chips or coxinha (chicken croquettes) before, she go mix am wit alcohol, caustic soda, and wit one fine scent she buy from market.

"She go mix everything togeda so dat di strong smell of caustic soda no go dey there again," Jussara tok.

Jussara dey earn di Brazilian minimum wage of 1,212 reals ($225) per month, minus her pension contribution. She dey work as cleaner and cook for one engineering firm.

One year ago she fit still afford to go cinema wit her youngest son once in a while, and she go habitually carry food for her handbag to donate give homeless pipo. But dat one no dey again, she tok.

"Nowadays, if I dash pesin something, I go dey deprive myself of food wey I need for house."

Going without new clothes

One year ago, Jessica Racome fit cope wit di £9.50 ($11.50) she dey earn per hour as cleaner for one online retail warehouse for London, but now she dey struggle even as she dey work longer hours.

"As dem no get enough pipo to work, dem double my shifts and I gatz accept am, becos evri tin don dey more expensive," di 56-year-old Ecuadorian tok. "I dey work 15 or 16 hours a day and you fit imagine how tiring dat one go be."

To rest afta all dat work no dey easy too as she no fit afford to buy new mattress to replace di one wey she dey use now, wey dey affect her back.

"Until last year I bin still fit buy on credit and pay in small instalments, but now I dey work only to pay di rent plus di grocery shop, afta dat, nothing dey remain again," she tok.

- Minimum wage: £9.50 ($11.30) per hour for over-23s

- Last rise: April 2022 (6.6%), and due to rise by 9.7% in April

- Annual inflation: 10.7% for November 2022

- Dis one also mean say she no go fit buy any new clothes and di ones wey she get don dey spoil.

She don go di Accident and Emergency department more dan once to complain about problems wey relate to overwork and stress, she tok.

"Dem recommend say make I change jobs, but e no dey easy for pesin wey dey my age."

- Rishi Sunak- New prime minister of UK f-ive most urgent problemsPrice rises don increase cost of living and wages no dey

No tickets to go house for birthdays

One tin wey one 29-year-old supermarket worker, Da Woon Jeong don need give up na her visits to her parents for di kontri.

Di round-trip bus and train fare from di capital Seoul, wia she dey live now dey cost 150,000 won ($115) and she no fit afford am again.

"I for like be wit dem on days like dia birthday and my birthday, I feel sorry say now I no fit," she tok.

Her finances don suffer no be sake of di rise in supermarket prices only but also di rise in interest rates.

She don borrow money for di deposit on her flat, and di monthly repayments don go up.

- Minimum wage: 9,160 won ($6.80) per hour

- Last increase: January 2022 (5%), and due to rise by 5% in January

- Annual inflation: 5% in November 2022

- "Now I just dey work to survive," she tok. "Before I fit give my parents money, but dis year I don use all my savings pay day-to-day bills. Dis na di money I save for emergencies and to take care for dem." she tok.

Di goment bin increase di minimum wage by 5% to 9,160 won ($7.00) per hour for 2022, but di price of things increase more fast-fast, she tok.

"Goment suppose dey collect more tax from di rich to help di poor."

Working more, and earning more

Farbani Chhura, wey be 40 years-old dey earn 333 rupees ($4) evri day for her place of work. Dat na di minimum wage for unskilled agricultural worker wia she dey live for India north-eastern state of Odisha.

Di money no plenty but she and her husband at least get guarantee of regular employment.

Farbani na beneficiary of one tin dem dey call Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, wey ensure pipo wey register 100 days of paid work per year.

But inside one effort to reduce migration from di area wia she dey live, di Odisha state goment raise di figure go 200 days for 2020 and 300 days for July 2022.

Nationwide, more dan 100 million pipo dey reported to dey work actively under di scheme. For Odisha, na only for some areas including Balangir district wia Farbani dey live, 300 days of work dey guaranteed for now.

- Minimum wage: In Odisha, 333 rupees ($4) per day for unskilled work

- Last rise: May 2022 (3%) and October (2%) in Odisha

- Annual inflation: 5.9% in November 2022

- "I see say di price of vegetables and pulses don increase well-well for market in di last six months, but now wey we get work, we still fit buy," Farbani, tok as she dey follow her two pikin dem play for di background.

In fact, Farbani say she no dey borrow money from microfinance bank to take buy medicine for her grandfather again.

"As more salary dey enta, we fit dey repay these loans," she tok.

Inflation figures from Tradingeconomics.com