Women and Poverty in America

Paper Summary:

This paper assesses the disproportionate degree to which poverty plagues women in America and discusses the impact of that imbalance on women and society as a whole. The author focuses his study on three reasons for this burden: (1) single parenthood, in which women head the household alone; (2) lack of education; and (3) personal tragedy, such as divorce or death of spouse.

From the Paper:

"There seems to be proof that marriage, in many cases, eliminates poverty or low income status for mothers. "Disadvantaged women who had children out of wedlock had substantially lower rates of subsequent marriage than other women. Poverty and welfare receipt were substantially lower for those who married and stayed married than for those who never married or were divorced. The economic benefits of marriage were especially strong among women from disadvantaged families. However, poverty rates for women who married but later divorced exceeded those of women who never married" (Lichter, et al 2003 60)."

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