Portrait of Disadvantage Among Women in New York City in 2022

This Women’s History Month, we’re taking a look at poverty in New York City through a gender lens with a special report focused on how poverty impacted NYC women in 2022, specifically in the areas of employment, health, and child care access.

Findings:

• Female New Yorkers were more likely than males to experience poverty (23% vs. 18%), material hardships (32% vs. 25%), and health problems (25% vs. 20%).

• Black and Latina females were almost three times more likely than white females to work in low-wage jobs (40% and 39% vs. 15%).

• Child care responsibilities disproportionately affected female New Yorkers, who were much more likely than males to quit a job (20% vs. 3%), turn down a job (35% vs. 8%), or refuse a promotion (18% vs. 3%) due to child care issues.

• Disadvantage was also more persistent for females New Yorkers; across a 5-year period, 60% of women were in poverty for at least one year versus 45% of men, and 24% of women were in poverty for 3 or more years versus 16% of men. Gaps were similar for experiences of material hardship over a 5-year period.

The Poverty Tracker is a longitudinal study of the dynamics of poverty and disadvantage in New York City. It is a joint project of Robin Hood and Columbia University.