H.R. 1 and the Feminization of Poverty

The term feminization of poverty describes two connected realities: women’s disproportionate representation among people in poverty and the policies, labor-market dynamics, and caregiving responsibilities that systematically heighten women’s economic risk. While many single mothers are employed — and most work full-time — their typical annual earnings remain disproportionately low and their rates of poverty disproportionately high.

This report from the Women’s Foundation of Colorado, with analysis provided by Shana McClain, Research Manager, and Chris Stiffler, Senior Economist at the Colorado Fiscal Institute, examines the recently passed One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1) through a feminization-of-poverty lens — asking what the bill means for women’s economic security in Colorado and how its provisions may widen inequalities rather than narrow them.