The Need / Our Impact > The Need is Real > Women in Poverty

Women in Poverty

48% of children living in female-headed households live below the poverty level

Just over 13% of women live in poverty, compared to 9.6% of men. Women’s poverty is up from 11% in 2010. Women are 58% of the county’s “poorest poor” (people whose income is 50% or less than the poverty level). Twelve percent of women ages 65 and older live below the poverty level compared to 5% of men ages 65 and older.

• 21% (41,357) of all Essex County families are headed by a female householder. The number of female householder families continues to increase.
  
  
  
• 66% of female householders have 1 or more children under 18 years of age, versus 35% of all Essex County families.
  
  
• 27% of all children under 18 years (46,382 children) live in female householder families.
  
  
• 40% of all female householders own their own homes (60% rent), versus 83% of married couple families and 55% of male householder families (no wife present).

By every measure, female householders and their families have the lowest median income and highest poverty levels of all family households.  

• 

  Median income of female householders with their own children is $24,591; this income is 52% of male householder families ($47,238) and 23% of married couple families ($105,399). (2011 inflation-adjusted dollars).
  Median income is down for all families (except male householders) since 2010 but most significantly for women.
  
  

• 26.3% of female householder families (10,877) live below the poverty level in contrast to 9.0% of all families and 3.6% of all married couple families.
  
  
• 37.5% of female householder families with children under 18 years of age live in poverty.   
  
  
• 48% of the children under age 18 (22,263) who live in female householder families live in poverty. Of the 28,712 children who live in poverty in Essex County, 77% live in female householder families.

Of the children under 18 years of age living in families that received public assistance over the last 12 months, 65% (27,454 children) lived in female householder families.  Public assistance includes Supplemental Security Income (SSI), cash public assistance, and/or food stamps/SNAP benefits. 

Not surprisingly, poverty rates significantly increase for female householder families as the number of children per family increases. 

Of female householders with children under 18 years of age, those families that live below the poverty level include: 

• 19% white
• 45% Hispanic or Latina
• 31% black or African American
• 8% Asian
• 55% whose families represent two or more races

(* 2010 Census Data)