There are often generalizations made on poverty and gender, where it is asserted that women are more likely to be under the poverty line. I took a quick look at this, and perhaps someone can fill in with some more info.

http://i.imgur.com/5X0UzB4.jpg

Poverty rates for males and females are the same throughout childhood, but increase for women during their childbearing years and again in old age. The poverty gap between women and men widens significantly between ages 18 and 24-20.6 percent of women are poor at that age, compared to 14.0 percent of men. The gap narrows, but never closes, throughout adult life, and it more than doubles during the elderly years. source

So, we have a gap that widens during the childbearing years, a narrowing of the gap following this time, and a widening of the gap again during the elderly years. So, earning potential that is lost during childbearing years continues to affect women. During old age, when men die earlier than their female counterparts, women also see more poverty. Living without a partner because he is statistically increasingly likely to be dead effects income.

Considering the points of divergence are childbearing years and elderly years, how does federal assistance play into the calculation of poverty? Federal assistance is more likely to go to women than men (61% vs. 49%). Noncash benefits (such as food stamps and housing subsidies) do not count. Considering that food and housing bills are often the largest bills lower income face, this is problem in the calculation of these statistics.

The other large benefit to calculate, and one especially relevant for pregnancy and old age are medical bills. How does Medicare and Medicaid fit into this picture? Apparently, Medicaid benefits are not calculated into poverty. "Money income does not include noncash benefits such as public housing, Medicaid, employer-provided health insurance and food stamps." Moreover, when you look at how much aid is received, this serves to further complicate calculations of poverty if you do not calculate the amount of aid received.

Medicaid provides health insurance coverage to over 60 million low-income and disabled Americans through a partnership between states and the federal government. Nearly 1 in 5 Americans obtain health care coverage through Medicaid.

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women make up nearly 70 percent of adults on Medicaid. Women make up 69 percent of elderly individuals receiving Medicaid, 53 percent of disabled individuals, and 77 percent of parents. More than one in ten non-elderly women receives their health coverage through the Medicaid program.

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The high proportion of women on Medicaid is largely a result of the program's historic eligibility rules. As explained earlier, Medicaid eligibility is currently based not just on income, but also personal circumstances. Parents of dependent children, pregnant women, very low-income elderly people, and those with breast and cervical cancer are all eligible for coverage. Women are far more likely to care for dependent children on their own and women live longer and are far more likely to live in poverty in their old age. Eligibility based on pregnancy as well as breast and cervical cancer further increases the proportion of female Medicaid beneficiaries. In addition to being more likely to fit into one of these eligibility categories, women are poorer on average than men. This combination of circumstances has meant Medicaid is an especially important source of coverage for women.

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Medicaid, the health program for the poor, covers 10% of non-elderly women.

Large costs incurred by the state that aren't calculated in poverty. This is relevant information, especially how poverty diverges highly at childbearing years and again when elderly.

Now that we've looked at Medicare. What about Medicaid?

Women constitute more than half of the individuals with Medicare. The program is therefore critically important to preserving the health and well-being of our mothers and grandmothers. Because women, on average, are poorer, live longer and have more health care needs than men, Medicare (sometimes combined with Medicaid) potentially plays a greater role for them in preventing illness and destitution. Any changes to the Medicare program that would increase cost-sharing or reduce services would be especially harmful to women, so it is important for women's health and economic well-being that that the Medicare program is protected.

The majority of individuals' receiving Medicare are women.

Women made up 56% of individuals with Medicare in 2010. Women make up an even larger portion of the oldest Medicare beneficiaries. Women over 80 made up 62% of individuals with Medicare in 2010.

Source

Clearly from looking at these figures, it is not correct to simply look at poverty calculations when they do not calculate significant benefits from the state through important health programs. These health programs cover expensive childbirth and elderly periods when the poverty level is the most divergent. Moreover, this elderly period needs to take into account how men statistically die at younger ages, creating an issue when comparing poverty for the elderly.

I would like to hear your thoughts on this cursory look into poverty and gender.