Women In Poverty [Blog Action Day 2008: Poverty]

The Center for American Progress released a 3-page brief last week sketching a portrait of women living in poverty within the United States. It's not pretty. Women are living at or below poverty level at rates higher than men. And poverty rates for Black women and Latinas is especially high--rates for each group of women hover around an astounding 25%.

The brief teases out several interrelated reasons for these terrible statistics. Over the life of this blog I've touched on several of them here, so I'll link out for further reading as appropriate.

Women are paid less than men, even when they have the same qualifications and work the same hours.
I've posted about this a few times, including this post on Equal Pay Day.

Women are segregated into low paying occupations, and occupations dominated by women are low paid.
You know who says so? No less a man than Top Chef's own Tom Colicchio.

Women spend more time providing unpaid caregiving than men.
Due in large part to the US's abysmal maternity leave laws.

Women are more likely to bear the costs of raising children.
See above.

Pregnancy affects women’s work and educational opportunities more than men’s.
For several reasons, including the fact that pregnancy discrimination is alive and well, if illegal.

Domestic and sexual violence can push women into a cycle of poverty.
Like if they feel stuck with living with their abuser because of their lease. Thanks, Wisconsin, for dealing with that. And being sexually assaulted can break the bank if your idiotstick local government tries to make you pay for your own post-rape evidence collection kit.