Four Which men and women are poor? Gender, poverty and social exclusion
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Esther Dermott
Abstract
This chapter makes the case for reasserting the importance of gender to poverty and social exclusion.We argue that gender matters to understanding poverty, given the continued relevance of gender to involvement in paid and unpaid work, and caring responsibilities, across the lifecourse. However, academics and policy makers need to reconfigure gendered poverty as more than simply studying ‘poor women’. Our analysis explores the circumstances of both women and men, and how gender intersects in significant ways with age and household type. We also show that gender differences emerge not in relation to deprivation but also in economising practices that men and women adopt to protect their living standards with women more like to cut back than men. Finally, our work highlights the need for poverty researchers to acknowledge the importance of both household and individual level measures.
Abstract
This chapter makes the case for reasserting the importance of gender to poverty and social exclusion.We argue that gender matters to understanding poverty, given the continued relevance of gender to involvement in paid and unpaid work, and caring responsibilities, across the lifecourse. However, academics and policy makers need to reconfigure gendered poverty as more than simply studying ‘poor women’. Our analysis explores the circumstances of both women and men, and how gender intersects in significant ways with age and household type. We also show that gender differences emerge not in relation to deprivation but also in economising practices that men and women adopt to protect their living standards with women more like to cut back than men. Finally, our work highlights the need for poverty researchers to acknowledge the importance of both household and individual level measures.
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents v
- List of tables and figures vii
- Notes on contributors xi
- Acknowledgements xiii
- Introduction: poverty and social exclusion in the UK 1
- Measuring poverty in the UK 17
- The impoverishment of youth: poverty, deprivation and social exclusion among young adults in the UK 41
- Improvement for some: poverty and social exclusion among older people and pensioners 61
- Which men and women are poor? Gender, poverty and social exclusion 95
- Better understandings of ethnic variations: ethnicity, poverty and social exclusion 115
- Improving lives? Child poverty and social exclusion 135
- The cost of children: parents, poverty, and social support 155
- A worsening picture: poverty and social exclusion and disabled people 173
- Devolution and North/South division: poverty and social exclusion in the countries and regions of the UK 193
- More similarities than differences: poverty and social exclusion in rural and urban locations 219
- Conclusion: innovating methods, informing policy and challenging stigma 239
- Technical appendix 257
- Index 259
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents v
- List of tables and figures vii
- Notes on contributors xi
- Acknowledgements xiii
- Introduction: poverty and social exclusion in the UK 1
- Measuring poverty in the UK 17
- The impoverishment of youth: poverty, deprivation and social exclusion among young adults in the UK 41
- Improvement for some: poverty and social exclusion among older people and pensioners 61
- Which men and women are poor? Gender, poverty and social exclusion 95
- Better understandings of ethnic variations: ethnicity, poverty and social exclusion 115
- Improving lives? Child poverty and social exclusion 135
- The cost of children: parents, poverty, and social support 155
- A worsening picture: poverty and social exclusion and disabled people 173
- Devolution and North/South division: poverty and social exclusion in the countries and regions of the UK 193
- More similarities than differences: poverty and social exclusion in rural and urban locations 219
- Conclusion: innovating methods, informing policy and challenging stigma 239
- Technical appendix 257
- Index 259
