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Poverty

Issues Affecting Women in Poverty

THREE ISSUES that affect women in poverty:

  • Reproductive Health & Rights
  • Wage Competitiveness
  • Domestic Violence

The Straight Facts on Women in Poverty

  • Poverty rates are higher for women than men.
  • Women are poorer than men in all racial and ethnic groups.
  • Black and Latina women face particularly high rates of poverty.
  • Only a quarter of all adult women (age 18 and older) with incomes below the poverty line are single mothers.
  • Elderly women are far more likely to be poor than elderly men.
  • Poverty rates for males and females are the same throughout childhood, but increase for women during their childbearing years and again in old age.
  • Women are paid less than men, even when they have the same qualifications and work the same hours.
  • Women are segregated into low paying occupations, and occupations dominated by women are low paid.
  • Women spend more time providing unpaid caregiving than men.
  • Women are more likely to bear the costs of raising children.
  • Pregnancy affects women’s work and educational opportunities more than men’s.
  • Domestic and sexual violence can push women into a cycle of poverty.

To get specific statistics go to: Center for American Progress

Research Resources

Domestic Violence Documentary Film Excerpt

The film offers a probing and intimate exploration of the troubling persistence of violence against women in America. The recent economic crisis has contributed to a sharp increase in domestic violence around the country.

Podcasts and Videos