The poverty rate for families headed by single mothers soared from 11.9% to 26.7% from 2021 to 2022, according to an analysis by the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC), a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of women and girls. This unprecedented increase took place in the United States, as indicated by NWLC Vice President of Income Security and Child Care Melissa Boteach who attributes it to the expiration of government support programs during the pandemic.
"Poverty is a policy choice. We have clear evidence that the expanded child tax credit, stimulus payments, and Unemployment Insurance helped millions of families afford food, rent, child care, and more. Unsurprisingly, Congress’ failure to extend these supports led to skyrocketing poverty rates, increased hunger, and greater hardship among women and children last year," said Melissa Boteach.
Delving further into their findings, According to a NWLC fact sheet "National Snapshot: Poverty Among Women & Families in 2022," the Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM) poverty rate for the general population climbed from 7.8% to 12.4%. For women and girls, the rate increased from 7.9% to 12.8%, and for children it rose from 5.2% to 12.4%. Based on the Census Bureau’s official poverty measure (OPM), 11 million children lived in poverty last year with 44.4% who lived in extreme poverty.
On a methodological note, According to the fact sheet, NWLC determined the poverty rate from data released by the Census Bureau in September, using the SPM and the OPM. SPM reflects, in part, federal and state benefits received by low-income families, such as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), subsidized housing and refundable tax credits. The OPM measurement only takes into account a family’s cash income.
Expressing her dissatisfaction with the governmental actions, "It is inexcusable that Congress continues to fail women and families by not immediately reinstating the expanded Child Tax Credit and other supports that are critical to reducing poverty," Boteach said.
