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Racialization of the Feminization of Poverty

To understand the feminization of poverty, we must know which women are being impoverished, in what ways and for what reasons. Minority women, specifically Black and Latina women are twice as likely as white women to be living in poverty. Yet, we tend to think of women on a collective whole, rather than break down the categories of difference. There are several reasons why minority women make up the majority of those in poverty, including low access to higher paying jobs and family structure.

Family Structure More women are living in poverty due to changes in the traditional family structure. The increase in divorce rates and single parenthood are two major contributing factors to change in the family structure. Female-headed families have the poorest economic outcomes, with economic well-being dependent on the mother’s marital status and race/ethnicity. White women generally have access to other income, through marriage or relationships with the highest income earners: white men. Whereas black women, in comparison to white women, are less likely to have white men as partners, and tend to have partners who earn less than white males and are less regularly employed. The absence of second income-earning adults is what impedes the well-being of minority women and children.

Education Education is considered a contributing factor to why women are more likely than men to live in poverty. 63% of female households who have children under the age of 18 do not complete high school. However, for minority women, socioeconomic factors contribute to them receiving less of an education than whites. There is a high concentration of minorities in poverty living in urban areas; this contributes to poor quality of education as there is a lack of funding in inner-city schools.

Access to Higher Paying Jobs Residential segregation by race and economic class prevent low-skilled workers, especially minorities, from moving closer to suburban jobs. Female minority householders are twice as likely as their white counterparts to live in central cities. As more businesses have retreated to suburban areas, the inner-city, where most low-income minorities reside, often face a decline in employment opportunities. Women still make only seventy cents to the dollar a man makes and for minority women, they make less than that of a white women.

Solutions Potential solutions to closing the gap between minority women and white women in poverty, is to recognize the racial differences that exist in public institutions. Working toward and building political coalitions around more realistic statements of need, will work to better serve the populations that really need assistance.

Jly16 (talk) 04:14, 9 November 2013 (UTC)