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Preferred term

feminization of poverty  

Definition

  • The term feminization of poverty was first coined by Diana Pierce in 1976 in an attempt to describe the changing demography of the poor in the United States since 1960. Whereas the poverty rate for all families in the United States had declined quite rapidly (from 18.1 percent in 1960 to 9.4 percent in 1976), the number of female-headed households in poverty had dramatically increased (from 1.9 million households to 2.6 million households), and one third of all female-headed households were in poverty. [Source: Encyclopedia of Social Problems; Feminization of Poverty]

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https://concepts.sagepub.com/social-science/concept/feminization_of_poverty

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