● In 2020, real median household incomes decreased 3.2% in the Midwest and 2.3% in the South and the West from their 2019 medians. The change for the Northeast was not statistically significant. Women in Poverty More women than men are living in poverty in the U.S.. Men who have migrated for employment or to avoid conscripted military work often have left women behind. Migrating across hundreds of miles and difficult terrain is not feasible for women and children. Basic information about women in poverty includes the following (Bleiweis et al., 2020): ● Of the 38.1 million people living in poverty in 2018, 56%, or 21.4 million, were women. ● Nearly 10 million women live in deep poverty defined as falling below 50% of the federal poverty line. ● The highest rates of poverty are experienced by Native American Indian or Alaska Native (AIAN) women, Black women, and Latinas. About one in four AIAN women live in poverty. This is the highest rate of poverty among women or men of any racial or ethnic group. ● Unmarried mothers have higher rates of poverty then married women, with or without children, and unmarried women without children. Nearly 25% of unmarried mothers live below the poverty line. ● In 2018, 11.9 million children under the age of 18 lived in poverty. This accounts for 31.1% of those living in poverty. ● Poverty rates for women and men are almost even throughout childhood. However, the gap grows significantly for women ages 18 to 44 (during prime childbearing years) and again for women age 75 and older. ● Women with disabilities are more likely to live in poverty than both men with disabilities and persons without disabilities. Women with disabilities have a poverty rate of 22.9%, compared to 17.9% for men with disabilities and 11.4% for women without disabilities. ● LGBTQ women experience higher rates of poverty than cisgender (sense of personal identity and gender correspond with their birth sex) straight women and men because of the intersections of discrimination based on gender, sexual orientation, and gender identity or expression. The coronavirus has exacerbated the caregiving burden on women because of essential school and childcare provider closures, which contributes to higher job loss among women (Bleiweis et al., 2020). Disability Disability may cause, as well as be a consequence of; poverty. People with disabilities must deal with barriers to employment as well as lower earnings. Only 16.4% of women who have disabilities were employed in 2018, compared with 60.2% without a disability (Bleiweis et al., 2020). Domestic violence In the U.S., domestic violence is the cause of women’s losing an average of eight million days of paid work per year. The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) has led to lowered rates of gender-based violence in the U.S. thanks to its programs and services. Unfortunately, the programs and services of the VAWA are not able to meet ongoing needs of domestic violence survivors without more funding and expansion of resources (Bleiweis et al., 2020).
Evidence-based practice! Research shows that the poverty rate in the U.S. is increasing. Healthcare professionals must be aware of data relating to poverty and work to decrease the growing problem of poverty. Key points of the 2020 income and poverty in the U.S. include the following (U.S. Census Bureau, 2020): ● Between 2019 and 2020, the poverty rate increased for non-Hispanic Whites and Hispanics. Among non-Hispanic Whites, 8.2% were in poverty in 2020, while Hispanics had a poverty rate of 17.0%. Among the major racial groups examined in this report, Blacks had the highest poverty rate (19.5%) but did not experience a significant change from 2019. The poverty rate for Asians (8.1%) in 2020 was not statistically different from 2019. ● Poverty rates for people under the age of 18 increased from 14.4% in 2019 to 16.1% in 2020. Poverty rates also increased for people aged 18 to 64 from 9.4% in 2019 to 10.4% in 2020. The poverty rate for people aged 65 and older was 9.0% in 2020, not statistically different from 2019. ● Between 2019 and 2020, poverty rates increased for married-couple families and families with a female householder. The poverty rate for married-couple families increased from 4.0% in 2019 to 4.7% in 2020. For families with a female householder, the poverty rate increased from 22.2% to 23.4%. The poverty rate for families with a male householder was 11.4% in 2020, not statistically different from 2019. Income data from this report include the following information (U.S. Census Bureau, 2020): ● Median household income was $67,521 in 2020, a decrease of 2.9% from the 2019 median of $69,560. This is the first statistically significant decline in median household income since 2011. ● The 2020 real median incomes of family households and nonfamily households decreased 3.2% and 3.1% from their respective 2019 estimates. ● The 2020 real median household incomes of non- Hispanic Whites, Asians, and Hispanics decreased from their 2019 medians, while the changes for Black households were not statistically different. Reasons why women live in poverty The impact of sexism and racism on society limit the employment opportunities available to women. Some of the causes of poverty in women include the following issues. Wage gap Based on 2018 data, women working full-time, year-round earn on average 82 cents for every dollar earned by their male counterparts. This gap continues throughout the lifespan, leaving women with fewer resources and savings than men (Bleiweis et al., 2020). Occupational segregation into low-paying jobs Women are disproportionately represented in certain occupations, especially low-paying jobs. This is due, in part, to the perception of gender roles that assume women’s work is low skilled and undervalued. This is especially true for women of color (Bleiweis et al., 2020). Lack of work-family policies Issues such as insufficient paid family and medical leave and earned paid sick leave impact a woman’s ability to manage work and caregiving. Childcare is expensive and sometimes hard to access. These issues further compound problems associated with work-family challenges.
Book Code: SWNY1224
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