The Gender Poverty Gap
Poverty is a gender issue
There are more women living in poverty than men
Data on poverty is is provided in different ways by different organisations.
Analysis can be presented as percentages or counts of different populations. It can apply to individuals or households and the date when data is collected can differ.
Women are
57%
more likely to be in poverty than men
Households are considered to be in poverty (relative low income) if their income is below 60% of the median household income after housing costs.
Some groups of women are more afected by poverty
Why Poverty
Is a gender issue in detail
Women in poverty
Described as Persistent Low Income by National Education Union
Women and poverty | National Education Union
Women most affected by poverty are single parents and the elderly
Calculated from single parent households in poverty and single parent households by parent's gender
Families and households in the UK - Office for National Statistics
Single parents in poverty
The elderly in poverty
Why women are more affected by
Poverty
Unpaid care, precarious working, and ineffective social and publc services
Persistently low income
Unpaid care - household
Acquiring debt
Lack of savings
Unpaid care - children
Low paid roles
Cost of living crisis
Reliance on social security
Part-time work
Forgoing food for others
Unpaid care - elderly
Single parent families
Routes out of Poverty
What can be done to get women out of poverty
Help Yourself
It is now easy, but these are the key ladders to getting out of poverty
Education – take training opportunities
Paid work – seek stable income
Non-labour income – such as pensions in later life
Health – try to keep fit and seek heath care when you need it
Workplace
Increase minimum wage and eligibility
Remove minimum earnings thresholds from statutory entitlements
Fund adequate pay rises to public sector workers
Ban zero hours contracts
Provide flexible working as default (with legitimate exceptions)
Make maternity pay available regardless of employment contract
Introduce paid carers leave
Benefits System
Provide women with individual benefits not tied to a partner’s income
Increase the child benefit and ensure it is paid to the primary carer
Remove the five-week wait for Universal Credit
Remove the benefits cap and the two-child limit
Remove the No Recourse to Public Funds restrictions
Improve benefits, with reference to the national living wage
Design benefits system to incentivise mothers to work more hours or take better jobs
Public Services
Invest in the care workforce to increase free and affordable social care services
Improve transport systems to connect homes, schools, and job hubs
Provide universal free school meals
Provide free financial literacy training
Building more social housing and reform schemes Right-to-Buy scheme to provide stable home
Provide local services for domestic abuse and financial insecurity
Provide affordable training with childcare support
Joseph Rowntree Foundation - Routes out of poverty
Impact of the rising cost of living on women | TUC
Women’s and Children’s Poverty: Making the Links – Women's Budget Group
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