This book studies women's poverty over the life course, focusing on the economic condition of single mothers and single elderly women — while also considering partnered women and immigrants — in eight wealthy but diverse countries: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In an analysis of labor market and social welfare sectors, the author and a team of international contributors conclude that both living-wage employment and government provision of adequate benefits and services are necessary if lone women are to achieve a socially acceptable l ... More

This book studies women's poverty over the life course, focusing on the economic condition of single mothers and single elderly women — while also considering partnered women and immigrants — in eight wealthy but diverse countries: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In an analysis of labor market and social welfare sectors, the author and a team of international contributors conclude that both living-wage employment and government provision of adequate benefits and services are necessary if lone women are to achieve a socially acceptable living standard. Taken together, the chapters extend a feminist critique of welfare state theories and chart nations' disparate progress against poverty; probing, for instance, how Sweden emerged as a leader in the prevention of women's poverty, while the United States continues to lag behind.