Geethika Jayatilaka, of Fawcett, argues that the Government must do something to reduce the high incidence of poverty among women

Women are over represented amongst the poor, globally. People don't seem to have a problem with this when they see pictures of women from far away countries holding starving children to their breasts. But when these come from places closer to home, people are far less comfortable with the idea.

Even the government is not completely happy with the concept; they have made an admirable commitment to end child poverty within 20 years. However, they still talk about child poverty without discussing the seemingly obvious: that children are poor because their mothers are poor.

Obviously, not all women are poor, but women are over represented amongst the low paid (those on the National Minimum Wage) and those who live in poverty. The main reason that women are poor is because they continue to be the ones who care for the dependent: children, the elderly and the sick. This affects their ability to provide for themselves financially, in both the short and long term. The need for flexibility in work in order to cope with family responsibilities means putting up with the poorer pay. This forces women to either take part-time work and the 'top-up' state benefits available to them, or leave work altogether (this is particularly true of lower income mothers for whom the costs of childcare make it less worthwhile to carry on working).

Two groups of women are particularly likely to be poor: lone parents and pensioners. This is because both are disadvantaged by a system which fails to value women who care for others. It is traditionally assumed that women's incomes and work are unimportant because their partners will provide for them.

Lone parents today are the poorest group in society; two thirds of children in one-parent families are poor, compared with one quarter of children with two resident parents. The fact that the majority of lone parents are women is key to understanding why so many one-parent families are poor. Single mothers face the same issue that all working women face - the pay gap. The problem is intensified by having spent a couple of years working part time, or out of the labour market altogether. For all lone parents, the lack of a second earner, or the potential for one, means that they will almost always be worse off than couples.

Women past the age of retirement, especially single older women are particularly likely to be poor. The sad fact is that the pension system is an example of a policy made with men in mind, assuming that a long unbroken work history was the norm. Women were bolted on as an after thought. It was taken for granted that women who did not work, or cared for family or friends instead of engaging in paid employment would themselves be taken care of in their old age by their husbands' pensions. However, husbands are not always forever; through widowhood or divorce these women have been left without recompense for the years of valuable and important work they undertook.

Images of women's financial situations tend to be segmented into the career woman, the wife and mother, and the single parent. Policies are made to suit each of these neat individual categories. In reality, women occupy these categories simultaneously or move through these stages during their life cycle. Politicians need to make policies which can accommodate this.

The need for women to have an independent income is not just about equality; it is also about poverty. Demographics and society are changing. Men are no longer the sole providers. More women than ever will be lone parents, at least for part of their lives, and more families than ever rely on women's wages.

Government policies need to be genuinely value caring, to ensure that women who care for their families, are not risking their financial well-being in the longer term. They need to encourage women to stay in the labour market by helping them combine work with family responsibilities.

Improving maternity leave, and providing good quality, affordable childcare will make it easier for women to spend time at home with their children, without compromising their ability to provide for themselves and their families; this goes for men too! The Government needs to encourage and allow men to take on their share of caring. In the longer term, this will help prevent the trauma of relationship breakdowns being compounded by families falling into poverty, and should ensure that women do not end their lives poor as a result of a lifetime of caring.

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