Growing Number of Women Living in Poverty

A study released April 6 by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives finds that almost 19 percent of adult women in Canada are living in poverty, the highest rate recorded in two decades. The study, entitled A Report Card on Women in Poverty, points out that 2.2 million adult women are counted within the category of "low income", compared to 1.8 million in 1980. The study also finds little change in the rate of poverty of women since the report of the Royal Commission on the Status of Women was released in 1967. In fact, it points out that when the Royal Commission report was released, almost 52 percent of single parent families headed by women were poor. Today, that figure is 56 percent.

Among the report's other findings are:

- Almost half of all women aged 65 or older have low incomes - exactly the same poverty rate as that reported by the Royal Commission for this group in 1967.

- Most poor people live thousands of dollars below the poverty line: sole-support mothers averaging $9,000 below, older women on their own about $3,000 below.

- Earnings of married women have done much to keep family poverty rates down. But while the wage gap between women and men who work full-time for a full year has been narrowing, about 40 percent of employed women are now either self-employed or working part-time or in temporary or contract work. The corresponding figure for men is 27 percent. The study argues that policies implemented by provincial and federal governments have not only failed to address the issue of women's poverty but have exacerbated the problem. For example, it points out that when the Harris government came to power in Ontario in October 1995, one of its first acts was to cut welfare rates by 21.6 percent. Shortly afterwards, it eliminated a nutritional supplement available to pregnant women on social assistance. Federally, the report cites a Canadian Labour Congress study on the impact of changes to the unemployment insurance system. In 1989, this study found around 74 percent of workers qualified for unemployment insurance. By 1997, this had fallen to 36 percent. However, for women, this number is even lower. Only 32 percent qualified for unemployment insurance in 1997, as many women work at part-time or temporary jobs and the changes to the legislation penalized these groups.