The latest report on gendered poverty by the Smallwood Trust (produced by the Women’s Budget Group and Central England Law Centre) makes for sobering reading
At The Women’s Organisation, we have welcomed the opportunity to work in partnership with Smallwood Trust over recent years. Their leadership in highlighting and tackling gendered poverty is both vital and timely. Their report reinforces what many of us working across the sector see every day: poverty is not gender-neutral it is structural, persistent, and deeply unequal.
The evidence is clear. Women are more likely to experience poverty, more likely to remain trapped in it, and more likely to carry its consequences not only for themselves, but for their families and communities.
But beyond the statistics lies a more urgent truth: when women are underfunded, their voices are also unheard. And that has profound consequences for policy, systems, and society.
Women’s poverty is not accidental it is built into how our economy and society function.
- Women are more likely to take on unpaid care, limiting their ability to work
- They are overrepresented in low-paid and insecure jobs
- They have lower earnings, savings, and financial resilience
- They are more exposed to economic shocks and policy changes
As the report highlights, women often act as the “shock absorbers” of poverty, cutting back on essentials like food and heating to protect their children .
This is not resilience it is survival.
The impact of gendered poverty is not just economic it is systemic and generational.
- Poverty becomes persistent
Single mothers, who make up the majority of single-parent households face a poverty rate of 42% and are far more likely to experience long-term poverty .
- Work doesn’t guarantee security
Even when women are employed, many remain in poverty due to part-time work, low pay, and caring responsibilities. Women make up over 60% of jobs below the real Living Wage.
- Inequality compounds
Disabled women, ethnic minority women, migrant women, and survivors of violence face layered and intersecting barriers from discrimination to lack of access to services.
- Policy can deepen inequality
Policy design from inadequate childcare provision to the structure of social security payments continues to disproportionately affect women, particularly those managing care and low incomes.
These are not isolated issues and they are the predictable outcomes of systems that fail to account for women’s realities.
The Missing Piece: Women’s Voices
One of the most powerful insights from the report is not just what is happening—but what is missing.
Too often:
- Women experiencing poverty are not involved in policy design
- Their lived experiences are not reflected in funding priorities
- Their insights are not shaping solutions
Yet the case studies in the report tell a different story one where, when women are supported, the impact is transformational.
Women like Katia, Priti and Narinder were able to:
- Increase their household income significantly
- Access safe housing and essential services
- Improve wellbeing and stability for their families
These are not just service outcomes. They are examples of what happens when women are listened to, supported and resourced.
The Role of Funding: More Than Money
Funding is one of the most powerful levers for change but only if it is used differently.
The report highlights that:
- Specialist women’s organisations are critical lifelines
- “By and for” organisations reach those most excluded
- Yet many remain underfunded and overstretched
This creates a dangerous gap:
- Systems fail women
- Community organisations step in
- But lack the funding to meet demand
Without sustained investment, the very organisations that amplify women’s voices and rebuild lives are at risk.
From Voice to Power
If we are serious about tackling gendered poverty, we must move beyond inclusion towards influence.
- Fund women-led and specialist organisations properly
Long-term, flexible funding is essential to sustain impact and reach those most in need.
- Centre lived experience in decision-making
Women must be involved in shaping:
- Policy
- Programme design
- Funding priorities
- Redefine what “impact” looks like
We must value:
- Care
- Community wellbeing
- Long-term resilience
- Social value
not just short-term financial return.
- Shift power, not just resources
It is not enough to support women within broken systems we must transform the systems themselves.
This is a pivotal moment.
With rising living costs, strained public services, and widening inequality, the risk is clear: women will continue to absorb the impact of systemic failure.
But there is also an opportunity.
Because when women are:
- Resourced → they stabilise families
- Supported → they rebuild communities
- Heard → they reshape systems
Closing the funding gap is not just about fairness.
It is about unlocking solutions we cannot afford to ignore.
Where inequality lives, women are already doing the work—holding families together, navigating broken systems, and creating pathways forward.
The question is not whether women have the answers.
The question is whether we are finally ready to fund them, listen to them, and follow their lead. Download Where Inequality Lives: The State of Gendered Poverty and Financial Resilience here.
