Gender, poverty and social exclusion

Throughout the 20th century women were more vulnerable to poverty than men which continues into the 21st century. These gender differences are explored in a chapter on gender, poverty and social exclusion in a volume giving the results of the millennium Poverty and Social Exclusion (PSE) Survey. Social exclusion exists where one or more of the social sub-systems is not functioning adequately - the economic, social and family and community systems. Women's poverty is linked to caring and domestic work and is related to the control of financial resources in marriage and the family, they are increasingly dependent on their own earnings, generally lower than men's. The disproportionate care of elderly people has more impact on women. The PSE Survey did not explore the views of all members of a household, a significant limitation in this context. The remaining two sections examine gender and poverty, and gender and social exclusion through the lifecourse. The first investigates the lack of socially perceived [...]