Despite Europe’s wealth, gender still decides who is most vulnerable to poverty. 

That’s about more than income. It’s also about time, resources and power. Women, especially lone mothers, older women, Roma and those with disabilities, face the highest risks of hardship.

Illustration of a mother hugging and kissing her daughter.

Women face a higher risk of poverty or social exclusion than men

22% of women and 20% of men in the EU are at risk of poverty or social exclusion.

EIGE recommendations

  • Make reducing women’s poverty a priority in future EU strategies.
  • Develop a 2030 European Anti-Poverty Strategy with targets disaggregated by sex, and incorporate a gender perspective into the European Platform on Combating Homelessness.
Illustration of a woman holding a wallet.

Time poverty holds women back from financial independence

Illustration of a woman during housework and childcare.

Women in the EU spend more time on unpaid work. In heterosexual couples, 63 % of women do cooking and housework daily, compared with just 36 % of men.

EIGE recommendations

  • Compensate unpaid care work.
  • Address time poverty and household inequalities to reduce women’s long-term vulnerability and support women’s financial independence.

Older women face higher poverty due to the gender pension gap

Women aged 65+ are 6 percentage points more likely than men to face poverty. The gender pension gap stands at 25%.

EIGE recommendations

  • Reform pensions for fair access.
  • Explore individual taxation to close pay and pension gaps.
Illustration of an older woman.

Read the full report today

This analysis is part of the European Union’s Beijing+30 review, reflecting our ongoing commitment to the Beijing Platform for Action and its vision for gender equality. Explore EIGE’s detailed data and recommendations. Help us to move Europe closer to real gender equality for all.