US gender differences in poverty rates may be associated with the varying burden of childcare

(Press-News.org) Gender differences in poverty rates in the United States may be associated with women’s differing circumstances — particularly the burden of dependent children — rather than inherent to gender itself, according to a new study published March 11, 2026 in the open-access journal PLOS One by Patti Fisher of Virginia Tech, U.S.

Women in the United States face higher rates of poverty than men, and their access to economic resources and opportunities is more limited. While factors such as employment, education, and health status are known to influence poverty risk, it has been unclear whether men and women are affected differently by these factors, or whether gender itself is an independent driver of poverty.

In the new study, Fisher analyzed data from 1,383 households run by a single adult (833 female-headed, 550 male-headed) drawn from the 2022 Survey of Consumer Finances. She identified factors associated with living below the federal poverty threshold and examined whether those factors affected men and women differently.

Working for an employer, self-employment, higher education, and older age were all associated with a lower likelihood of living in poverty, while reported “fair” health status and uncertainty about future income increased poverty risk. These factors had similar links with poverty for both men and women, with one exception: the employment was associated with lower benefit in poverty reduction for women than for men.

Male-headed households had nearly double the average net worth of female-headed households ($489,310 versus $250,917). Once individual circumstances were accounted for, being female was not independently linked with higher rates of poverty. Instead, women’s higher poverty rates appear to reflect their different circumstances: female-headed households were three times more likely to have dependent children than male-headed households (38.3% versus 12.7%) and were also more likely to report poorer health and greater income uncertainty.

Fisher emphasizes that gender differences in poverty are still important to consider and should be considered in poverty reduction approaches to address differential constraints – like childcare responsibilities – that limit women’s ability to benefit from strategies such as increased employment.

The study was limited by its cross-sectional design which could not establish causality. However, Fisher concludes that policies targeting the specific constraints women face — particularly childcare responsibilities — are needed to effectively address gender disparities in poverty rates.

Fisher adds: “Among single-parent households, the factors that influence poverty don’t affect everyone the same way. Things like having a job, more education, and getting older generally help lower poverty risk for both men and women, but women often see fewer benefits from employment because they’re more likely to be balancing work with caring for children.”

“One of the biggest takeaways is that gender alone doesn’t put people at risk of poverty. It’s how everyday factors like work, family responsibilities, and health play out differently in people’s lives. This shows why one‑size‑fits‑all anti‑poverty policies often fall short.”

 

 

In your coverage, please use this URL to provide access to the freely available article in PLOS One: https://plos.io/4cMnB3e

Citation: Fisher PJ (2026) Gender and poverty in the United States: Evidence from the Survey of Consumer Finances. PLoS One 21(3): e0343238. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0343238

Author country: U.S.

Funding: The author(s) received no specific funding for this work.

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