Women Are Poorer Than Men In Every State

[DonViejo]

Source: TDB



Lucy Vernasco

New findings from IWPR expose disturbing disparities in poverty levels nationwide. Despite obtaining higher levels of education, women—particularly those of color—are poorer than men.

The saying goes, “girls go to college to get more knowledge,” but what does it mean when the number of women living in poverty increases, even as their rate of education goes up?

Not only will women not make equal pay within our lifetimes, but according to a new study from the Institute for Women’s Policy Research for Women, they’ll be living in higher poverty rates too. The newest installment of IWPR’s series,Status of Women in the States: 2015, the report found a decrease in the percentage of women living above the poverty line from 87.9 in 2002 to 85.4 in 2013.

As with the gender wage gaps, the issues are more pronounced in the Southern states—particularly Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee. But nowhere are women completely insulated from the issue. The findings, using data as far back as 1996, suggest that despite significant gains in education over the past two decades, women remain severely behind men in both economic stability and business ownership.

Nationwide, 15.5 percent of women live in poverty, compared with 11.9 percent of men. But the discrepancy in poverty rates worsens when considering race. The poverty rate for Native American, Black, and Hispanic women is nearly twice the rate for white women. The number is highest in the Native American community where 28.1 percent of women live below the poverty line (compared to 11.7 percent of white women). Single mothers fare even worse, listed as twice as likely to be living in poverty than single fathers, 43.1 percent vs. 23.6 percent.

-snip-

Read more: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/04/09/women-are-poorer-than-men-in-every-state.html

[appalachiablue]

1. Very important issue. Thanks for posting.

[Warpy]

2. They keep us poor so we'll put up with wretched marriages to them.

What they don't realize is that we'd rather be poor than abused.

At some point, enough of them will have grown up artificially poor with single mothers paid lower wages than men are paid to realize the welfare of children is tied to the welfare of their mothers, and by welfare, I'm not talking about pittances from the state. I'm talking about earning enough of a wage to raise one's children decently with one job instead of two or three.

[Yupster]

3. Who is the they?

that you're talking about?

[TexasMommaWithAHat]

11. One person supporting two or three kids doing unskilled labor is

generally going to be poor. It just depends how "just" our society is regarding the poor - like do we provide childcare and healthcare? Do we raise the minimum wage to something worth working for? Do they get vacation and sick pay? People at the bottom of the wage ladder should still be able to maintain a decent quality of life, but they'll still be poor.

Yeah, a single parent working at a coffee shop or working behind a cash register at Target is never going to be anything but poor unless he or she is sharing household and childrearing expenses with a partner who is also bringing in a paycheck.

But do we care enough to help them provide for the basic necessities - like healthcare?

[TexasMommaWithAHat]

4. I wish the author would have delved more into this:

"Nationwide, 15.5 percent of women live in poverty, compared with 11.9 percent of men.... Single mothers fare even worse, listed as twice as likely to be living in poverty than single fathers, 43.1 percent vs. 23.6 percent."

Single motherhood is likely the single largest factor accounting for discrepancies in poverty levels.

[madville]

7. I think part of it is that

Men have more employment options. Construction, welding, oil&gas, truck driving, law enforcement, many technical fields like electricians, HVAC, machinists, etc are all male dominated fields. Sure a few women work in these type of career fields but I would guess in most it is less than 10%.

Health Care/medical is one of the few I can think of as being majority female these days but more and more men are going to nursing school now also.

[Yupster]

8. I think single motherhood

is the biggest factor by far.

[leftyladyfrommo]

13. Oh, yes.

So many single mothers have to pick up the bills when fathers refuse to pay or don't pay enough to raise their kids.

And women with children have limited work options. They have to be able to take care of the kids and pay childcare.

[Sparhawk60]

10. Women Can Do All of Those

Women can do all the jobs you listed, they chose not to.

[iemitsu]

5. The article neglects to mention that the only

workplaces in America where women are paid equal to men are government jobs. It is the private sector that perpetuates and exacerbates this problem.

[Art_from_Ark]

9. Funny how that little detail is overlooked

[Yupster]

12. I have a little experience in this subject

though it's 25 years old.

I was once on the school district's salary committee.

We noticed that at every age level, the average male teacher made more than the average female teacher and the difference was higher the older the people were.

We looked for reasons since the district had a salary schedule where everyone made what the schedule said whether you were male or female.

Three reasons popped up.

1. The least important was education. The average male teacher was slightly more likely to have a master's or doctorate. This was a tiny difference and I would guess it is not even measurable today.

2. Extra duties showed up as a difference. The men were more likely to do extra duties like summer school, coaching, etc.

3. The biggest difference by far was experience. If the average 40 year old men had 16 years of experience, the average 40 year old woman had 13 years. The obvious reason was that women were much more likely to interrupt their careers sometimes for a year to take care of their newborn, sometimes for a year each to take care of three different newborns, sometimes to take off five years until kid is old enough for school. There were even cases of teachers (always women) taking off a year to provide free daycare for their daughter's kids.

We also found that the biggest reason for number two was also kids. Women were more likely to not coach because they wanted to get home when their kids got home.

In short, it came down to kids.

[iemitsu]

14. Yes, those differences do exist in school systems and

no doubt in other government jobs as well, but the salary schedule does not discriminate between genders.
Someone with the same experience and education, performing the same job will be paid the same.
This equity does not exist in the private sector.

[IBEWVET]

15. Not always

I worked in private industry, and women made the exact same pay, of course we were union.

[iemitsu]

16. Of course, how did I forget about union workplaces.

The real reason there is any equity at all.

[FrodosPet]

6. I'm doing my part...

...by helping to increase the number of men in poverty by making an average of $4.27 an hour working a 60 hour week.

Minimum wage for an independent contractor cab driver is no runs but you still gotta pay for the gas you burn.