The "feminization of poverty" refers to the trend in which:

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Accepted Answer

An increasing proportion of the poor in the United States are women and their children. The feminization of poverty is a well-documented trend describing the increasing concentration of poverty among women and female-headed households. In the United States, women  -  particularly single mothers and elderly women living alone  -  are disproportionately represented among the poor. Factors contributing to this pattern include the gender wage gap (women earn less than men on average), occupational segregation (women are concentrated in lower-paying jobs), the burden of unpaid caregiving responsibilities (which limits women's labor force participation), inadequate child support, and the economic vulnerability of women after divorce.

The term was popularized by sociologist Diana Pearce in 1978, and the trend has persisted despite women's increasing labor force participation and educational attainment. Single-mother families are particularly vulnerable to poverty because they typically rely on one income, face high childcare costs, and receive limited government support. Racial disparities compound gender disparities: women of color, particularly Black and Latina women, experience the highest poverty rates. Elderly women are also disproportionately poor, partly because their lower lifetime earnings result in smaller Social Security benefits and pension income.

"An increasing proportion of the poor in the United States...", "An increasing proportion of the poor in the United States...", "Women earn more than men in most occupations", and "Women earn more than men in most occupations" describe the opposite of the feminization of poverty  -  they suggest women's economic advancement rather than their disproportionate poverty. "Poverty rates are declining for all demographic groups" contradicts the concept by suggesting poverty is declining for everyone. The feminization of poverty illustrates how gender, race, and class intersect to produce patterns of inequality that cannot be understood by examining any single dimension alone. This concept is important for the CLEP exam because it connects gender inequality with social stratification.

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