In 1980 the poverty rates for women were about one and a half times greater than those for men. Between 1950 and 1980 the degree of inequality between the sexes increased by about 30 percent. This paper describes those trends, focusing on the sex of the individual rather than sex of the household head. It also examines differences in the risk of…

This paper discusses the "Better Jobs and Income Act," President Carter's proposed welfare reform bill. Brief attention is given to speculation on "first order effects" of the bill. Effects considered concern the equity and the adequacy of the bill. Major attention is directed toward "second order effects,"…

Data from the 1986 Current Population Survey (March Supplement) indentified characteristics of working heads of poor families that might assist policymakers involved in alleviating nonmetro poverty (in 1985, 18.3% of persons living in nonmetro areas were poor compared to 12.7% of persons living in metro areas). Comparing the South (a 17-state…

This study examines characteristics of Hispanic females in single- and dual-headed households in an effort to understand the impact of the feminization of poverty on Hispanic Americans of Mexican, Cuban, and Puerto Rican origin. The following aspects of these women are examined: (1) sociodemographic characteristics; (2) language of interview; (3)…