Main causes of female poverty : compilation of in-depth analyses, workshop 30 March 2015

Upon request by the FEMM Committee, these in-depth analyses highlight different aspects of female poverty. They complement two other Workshop contributions from a research project of the European Commission and from UNICEF. Wim van Lancker and his team examine the extent of women's poverty in the EU and the impact of social exclusion through poverty on living and working conditions of women and their children. He concludes with a discussion of policy measures that have been taken in EU Member States for enabling paid employment and ensuring adequate income protection. Diane Perrons explores the impact of the crisis on female poverty. Multiple differences exist among European Union Member States but overall poverty has increased and women are still more likely than men to live in poverty, though until 2012 the increase for men was greater than that for women. Economic performance and economic policies seem to be associated with poverty. The paper recommends that macroeconomic policy be mainstreamed to identify gender specific outcomes. Maria Stratigaki focuses on European policies and activities and the role of the European Social Fund in the fight against female poverty. She emphasises the need for developing a holistic methodological approach to face gendered poverty, going beyond tackling poverty exclusively via active labour market policies.