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WOMEN AND POVERTY
In 2001, 12.8 million women and 8.4 million men aged
18 and older were living with incomes below the Federal
poverty
level.1 Women aged 18-24 were most likely to be poor, with
a poverty rate of 19.0 percent. The percentage of females
under the Federal poverty level declines after women reach
age 65. In 2001, the lowest poverty rate was among women
aged 45-64 (8.7 percent). The poverty rate then increased
for women aged 65 and older to 11.2 percent and 13.6 percent
for women aged 75 and older.
Among selected household types,
women heading households with no spouse had the highest
rates of poverty (26.4 percent),
followed by females living alone (19.2 percent). The
poverty rate for women living in married couple families
was much
lower (4.9 percent).
 [d]
 [d]
1The
Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that
vary by family size and composition to determine who is
poor. If a family's total income is less than that family's
threshold, then that family and every individual in it
is considered to be poor. Examples of 2001 poverty levels
were $9,039 for an individual, $11,569 for a family of
two, $14,128 for a family of three, and $18,104 for a family
of four. [Back
to Text] |
