The Wonk Room

The Straight Facts On Women In Poverty»

Today, the Center for American Progress released a new brief, ‘The Straight Facts on Women in Poverty.’ The release demonstrates that “women in America are more likely to be poor than men” and underscores the disproportionate number of minority women living in poverty:

- Over half of the 37 million Americans living in poverty today are women.

- Women are poorer than men in all racial and ethnic groups.

- Over a quarter of black women and nearly a quarter of Latina women are poor.

- Only a quarter of poor adult women are single mothers. Half of all poor adult women are single with no children.

The brief recommends “a range of decent employment opportunities with a network of social services that support healthy families, such as quality health care, child care, and housing support.”