Despite significant advancements over the past several decades, women’s economic status in the 21st century continues to lag behind their male counterparts, and women continue to face a disproportionately high risk of living in poverty compared to men. However, not all stages of the life cycle carry the same economic risk of impoverishment.  

This analysis uses data from the 1967-2015 Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplements (CPS ASEC) and the 2014 American Community Survey (ACS) to examine the gender differences in poverty rates for all ages and to explore how those differences have changed over time.