Poverty - Women in United States

United States

Poverty is associated with poor health outcomes. It influences environmental exposures and health-related behaviors, and is linked to increased risk of mortality and chronic disease. In 2022, 36% of female-headed households with children were living in poverty. 

Women with incomes below the federal poverty level may struggle to consistently afford basic needs such as stable housing, health insurance coverage and food. Additional negative implications of poverty among women include increased risk of sexual exploitation and trafficking and lower rates of physical activity.

The cost of poverty adds up over time and can become cyclical. Those with limited income spend a larger portion of their wages on basic necessities, making it difficult to accrue wealth, and are often taken advantage of by predatory lenders, forcing them deeper into debt.

According to America’s Health Rankings analysis, the poverty rate is higher among American Indian/Alaska Native and Black women compared with Asian and white women.

Additional research has found that women with disabilities not only have higher rates of poverty than those without disabilities, but also experience higher rates of poverty than men with disabilities. LGBTQ women also experience higher rates of poverty than men and women who are straight and cisgender.

Addressing the gender wage gap and implementing universal basic income could reduce poverty among women. Various government programs are available to assist and support women in poverty:

• The earned income tax credit (EITC) program provides a tax break to low-income employed families and individuals living in poverty. The amount of credit is based on income, marital status and number of children.
• The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), previously known as food stamps, provides nutrition benefits to help households in need afford nutritious food.
• The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) provides additional food and nutritional support for pregnant and postpartum women and children. 
• Medicaid provides health care coverage to low-income adults, pregnant women and children.
• The Child Tax Credit assists low-income families with affording necessities such as food, child care, rent and mortgage.

Healthy People 2030 tracks different objectives related to economic stability, including reducing the proportion of people living in poverty.

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Bleiweis, Robin, Diana Boesch, and Alexandra Cawthorne Gaines. The Basic Facts About Women in Poverty. Fact Sheet. Center for American Progress, August 3, 2020. https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/women/reports/2020/08/03/488536/basic-facts-women-poverty/.

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Majumder, Anwesha, and Jessica Mason. America’s Women and the Wage Gap. Fact Sheet. National Partnership for Women & Families, March 2025. https://nationalpartnership.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/americas-women-and-the-wage-gap.pdf.

National Center for Education Statistics. “Characteristics of Children’s Families.” In The Condition of Education 2024. U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, 2024. https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/pdf/2024/cce_508c.pdf.

Sun, Shengwei. National Snapshot: Poverty Among Women & Families. Fact Sheet. Washington, D.C.: National Women’s Law Center, January 2023. https://nwlc.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/2023_nwlc_PovertySnapshot-converted.pdf.

The High Cost of Being Poor in the U.S.: Anti-Poverty Programs Help Alleviate Costs, But More Must Be Done to Reduce Burdens. Washington, D.C.: Coalition on Human Needs, September 20, 2016.https://www.chn.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Final-CHN-Natl-Census-Poverty-Report-9.20.16.pdf.