Females who were poor outnumbered males by more than four million in 1975. The 15 million females living in poverty accounted for three out of five persons (fifty-eight percent) who were poor in the United States. Advance data for 1976 indicate that more than ten million women aged sixteen and over had low incomes, and that these women accounted for nearly two out of three poor persons. About one-third of all families headed by women were poor (median income: $2,926)--more than five times the rate for male-head families--and although women were only fourteen percent of all family heads, they made up forty-eight percent of all poor family heads. The poverty status of a female-head family is directly related to the number of family members; fifty-four percent of the families with five members and sixty-five percent with seven or more persons were poor. There are several reasons why poverty is more prevalent among women: (1) Women characteristically have lower earnings than men (1976 median earnings--women, $8,312; men, $13,859); (2) women have higher unemployment rates; (3) responsibilities for the care of children restrict their employment; and (4) women have greater longevity than men (poverty is greatest among the aged). (Statistical tables of supportive data are interspersed throughout this report.) (BL)