Year after year, data show that men typically make more than women — and women are more likely to live in poverty. Single mothers, women of color, and elderly women living alone are at particularly high risk of living in poverty.

What’s at Stake Today

Too many single mothers live in poverty. Women are overrepresented in low-paid jobs despite better educational credentials than ever. And unemployment rates remain painfully high for some groups of women.

What Is NWLC Doing?

New information comes out every day, and our staff experts crunch the numbers to pinpoint where women and families stand in the economy ― and to inform our strategies for reducing poverty.

We dive deep into the data to find out how race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, immigrant status, and the presence of a disability impact women’s economic security. We highlight the connection between women’s poverty and children’s poverty.

With these analyses in hand, we fight cuts to critical human needs programs by showing their impact on key constituencies. We mobilize support for policies like raising the minimum wage that can help women make ends meet by showing what they would mean to women, especially Black women and Latinas. And we show how policies like family tax credits and child care assistance can help two generations succeed.

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