The Feminization of Poverty and Older Women

This paper examines the “triple jeopardy” of being old, poor, and female in the United States. The structural roots of the feminization of poverty are explored, with particular attention to the sexual division of labor, the dual labor market economy, and notions of dependency and deservingness in American society. Current and proposed budget cuts of the Reagan administration are seen as further contributing to a “greying” of the feminization of poverty, and implications for research, practice and policy are presented.