IWPR Finds Public Assistance Not Reaching Poor Women during the Recession

By Allison Helmuth

Analysis of 2008 American Community Survey data from the US Census Bureau reveals that 15.5 million women live in poverty, but the number receiving public assistance is much smaller. Further, the distribution of supports varies a great deal depending on the region and the state, so that poor women in some parts of the country are much less likely to get help than in others.  Those state-by-state data on the percent of poor women receiving health coverage, nutritional support (Food Stamps now called SNAP), and cash assistance was released in IWPR’s recent Briefing Paper, “Women and Poverty during the Great Recession.”

The largest observed gap in assistance relates to the cash assistance program (TANF): 88 percent of impoverished women with dependent children are going without this support. Health insurance coverage (mostly Medicaid) and food stamps reach more women in poverty than TANF, but still leave many uncovered. Nationwide, nearly one-third of women in poverty are without either public or private health insurance and 62 percent of poor women do not receive food stamps. The variation across the states is much greater in health insurance than in nutritional support.

“Especially during an economic downturn, the social safety net needs to be stronger to help prevent families in poverty from sinking even further,” states Dr. Jane Henrici, IWPR Study Director. “During these hard economic times, public assistance programs should support poor women and their families, but too many are not receiving any kind of help at all.”