By Rachel Sandler, JWI intern
This week, the Census Bureau released its 2010 poverty data showing the largest number of poor people in the United States since poverty data started being collected in 1959.
The data has also revealed some shocking truths about the gender poverty gap in this country: if you are an adult woman, you are 29% more likely to be poor than an adult man. In 2010, there were 17.2 million poor women, compared to 12.6 million poor men. Heartbreakingly, the rate of extreme poverty is the highest it has ever been at 6.3%. The data has also revealed the devastating plight of many single mothers, for whom the poverty rate is 40.7%. The facts are clear: poverty is waging a war on women.
If you would like to read in greater detail about the Census Bureau’s data, the National Women’s Law Center has put together a wonderful analysis with links to many resources.
