The Feminization of Poverty: Gender, Household Structure, and Economic Vulnerability

Abstract

The feminization of poverty—the disproportionate representation of women among the poor—was first identified by Diana Pearce (1978) and has been a central concept in feminist sociology and gender economics for four decades. Women’s higher poverty rates reflect the intersection of multiple structural disadvantages: the gender wage gap, the care penalty from unpaid domestic and childcare labor, occupational segregation into lower-wage feminized sectors, and the particular vulnerability of female-headed households with dependent children. This paper examines the feminization of poverty through three analytical lenses: the macro-level analysis of poverty rates by household type and gender; the meso-level analysis of labor market structures that generate gender income differences; and the micro-level analysis of household economic decision-making and vulnerability trajectories. Using Current Population Survey and Panel Study of Income Dynamics data, we examine how female household headship, divorce, and caregiving responsibilities increase poverty risk, and evaluate the effectiveness of policy interventions including childcare subsidies, parental leave, and targeted income supports.