The Gender Poverty Gap
Poverty is a gender issue
June 2025
There are more women living in poverty than men
57%
More women than men live in poverty in the UK by 57%
Households are considered to be in poverty (relative low income) if their income is below 60% of the median household income after housing costs.
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.
Some groups of women are more afected by poverty
Why Poverty
Is a gender issue in detail
Women in poverty
Women most affected by poverty are single parents and the elderly
Single parents in poverty
The elderly in poverty
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
The cost of being female
Period Poverty
The unfair financial burden on women and girls
21%
of those that menstruate struggle to afford period products
use pads or tampons longer than recommened
41%
have used tissues or cotton wool
37%
have used socks or other clothing
13%
have used paper or newspaper
9%
have stayed at home due to period povery
17%
Women are more likely to experience
Homelessness than men
Women are the hidden homeless
Women avoid rough sleeping
Women experience sexual harassment, abuse and violence on the street and for as many as 33% of female rough sleepers, domestic abuse has contributed to their homelessness.
The street count method for counting rough sleepers does not appropriately capture women who seek invisibility on the streets.
Informal temporary arrangements
24-hour cafes
Sheds, garages and wendy houses
Sleeping on buses and other transport
Sofa surfing
54%
of women who have slept rough have experienced violence or abuse from a partner or family member
33%
of homeless women say that domestic abuse contributed to their homeless
<25%
Homeless females tend to be younger and significantly more likely than men to be under 25
60%
Women make up 60% of adults in temporary accommodation
19%
of homeless women have experienced abuse as a child
Why women are more affected by
Poverty
Unpaid care, precarious working, and ineffective social and publc services
Persistently low income
Low paid roles
Cost of living crisis
Reliance on social security
Unpaid care - children
Forgoing food for others
Unpaid care - elderly
Single parent families
Part-time work
Acquiring debt
Lack of savings
Period Povery
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
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