The risks of poverty or social exclusion continue to affect women more than men in Spain. Even though the country is going through a period of economic recovery, the population is growing faster and the gender gap remains virtually intact. This is shown by data from the study on the feminization of poverty, presented this week by Red Europea de Lucha contra la Pobreza y Exclusion Social (EAPN). According to its estimates, in 2024, the AROPE rate — which measures the risk of poverty or social exclusion — reaches 26.8% among women, or the equivalent of 6.6 million people, compared to 24.8% among men (5.9 million). Patricia Durán, representative of the Permanent Committee of EAPN Spain, emphasizes that the economic recovery “does not achieve the same thing for men and women”. They take trajectories marked by work interruptions, bias and unpaid care, “which systematically leaves them helpless,” he says.
Examination of all the data reveals a basic trend. Over the last decade, both women and men have reduced their AROPE rates, but men’s improvement is significantly greater: they have progressed up to 30% more than them. The rate for women fell by 3.8 points between 2014 and 2024 (from 30.6% to 26.8%), while that of men fell by five points (from 29.8% to 24.8%). The result is a gap that remains stable except at times when men are getting worse – and not because women are getting better. This means that the gender gap also narrows during periods of growth, as happened between 2015 and 2019, following the Great Recession. Once healing is restored, they will have to leave first.
For Durán, the reduction of the AROPE task cannot be interpreted as real progress because the structural conditions that expose women to greater risk remain intact. Be careful, the female task is not the highest thanks to the social protection system that supports the elderly, but be careful, this mattress does not exist for the younger generations. “The risks of poverty are increasing among young women,” he explains, emphasizing the need for a basic protection system for children. He cites the example of Poland, which implemented a similar mechanism and succeeded in reducing its poverty level.
The specialist also recalls that vulnerability is deeper in households headed by women. According to the study, a single-family home is at risk of poverty or social exclusion. This trend is found among migrant women, who face this risk in 55.5% of cases.
The AROPE indicator combines four dimensions: relative poverty (housing with income less than 60% of the national median), severe material and social deprivation, low work intensity within the household and extreme poverty (income less than 40% of the median). This index is created based on data from the INE’s Encuesta de Condiciones de Vida (ECV). For its gender analysis, EAPN cross-referenced this information with other official sources, such as the Encuesta de Población Activa (EPA), the Encuesta de Estructura Salarial and INSS pension statistics. In all the components analyzed, the situation of women is most unfavorable.
The burden of poverty
If we look at the level of poverty – households with less than 60% of the national median – inequalities also remain. Between 2008 and 2024, the number of poor women decreased, while the number of poor men increased. However, this does not mean that they are much better: the gap is narrowing mainly because male poverty has increased. Overall, the poverty rate for women decreased by 0.8 points during this period (from 21.2% to 20.4%), while that of men increased by half a point (from 18.4% to 18.9%). Today, more than five million women live in poverty, compared to around 4.5 million men. “After the 2008 recession, the gap narrowed because women were better off, simply because men’s poverty increased more intensely due to austerity policies,” the report says.
Inequalities are more visible among people aged 65: the poverty rate for women in this group reaches 18.9%, much higher than that of men at 14.4%. This difference reflects career paths marked by part-time work, interruptions and years spent in unpaid care. In contributory pensions, the gap is the largest in the historical series: men receive on average 1,510 euros per month and women, 1,026. Son 484 euros less.
An unequal labor market
The labor market continues to be a central driver of these inequalities, particularly due to the high presence of involuntary partial working hours which weigh on women. According to the report, three out of four people working part-time are women. This bias rate reaches 21.4%, compared to 6.8% for men, a difference which, according to the study, shows the extent to which the distribution of available time remains deeply marked by gender.
The relationship between partial employment and care is even more evident in homes welcoming minors. When there are children or adolescents, the female bias increases to 23.6%, while for men it only reaches 5.9%. The document indicates that, for them, the reduction of the journey is linked to family responsibilities, while, for them, it is probably a decision linked to training or qualification processes. Today, educational training appears more frequently as a reason for partial employment among 22.3% of men, compared to 9.8% of women.
These gaps in participation and working time translate into wage inequalities. In 2023, men will earn on average a gross monthly salary of 2,468 euros, and women 2,063. A difference of 16.4%, equivalent to 405 euros per month. A distance that rejects the most vulnerable position of women within the economic system.
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