The 'feminization of poverty': 90% of single parents who live in poverty are women
Welcome to the bi-weekly update (#164) where we dive deeper into key topics, themes or issues specific to women and their lived experience.
On every measure used to assess wealth and poverty, women fare worse than men. The ‘feminization of poverty’ is a term coined by Professor Diana Pearce in 1978 and it has not gone away.
Why?
Women make up the majority of the poor in both developed and developing countries. They are more likely to be unemployed and in unstable employment.
Men are twice as likely to hold leadership posts in the private and public sector than women. The lack of advancement is one reason why women in G7 countries earn 62% of what men do.
However, one of the main drivers is the rise of lone-parents, of whom 90% are women.
If a couple divorces or the husband dies, the women (with children) will experience economic hardship and often fall into poverty.
In the UK today, 50% of single parents live in poverty. The vast majority of the 1.8m lone-parent families in Britain – almost nine out of 10 – are headed by women. This means their children live in poverty too.
Relative poverty is defined as having an income of less than 60% of the national median, adjusted for household size.
And with the worst inflationary shock since the 1980s, single mothers are facing more hardship than most.
Single women overall-including older women who might be widowed or younger women without a partner, also have higher poverty rates than men.
However, in the richest nations, we know women increase the efficiency and performance while reducing risk and waste.
And in developing countries, the data shows that investing in (and supporting) women leads to better education, health and greater prosperity for their family, community and economy overall. Why? Women invest back into their children, community and business.
Investing in and supporting women has long-term benefits for families but also for the growth of the economy. Literally, everyone is better off.
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