Gender-responsive social protection is needed to reduce female poverty.

In 2024, the global extreme poverty rate, defined as living on less than $2.15 per person per day, was 9.8 per cent for females compared to 9.1 per cent for males. Overall, 24.3 million more females live in extreme poverty compared to males. By 2030, a projected 8.1 per cent of females (compared to 7.6 per cent of males) will linger in extreme poverty, missing the SDG target. Ending extreme poverty for women and girls will take an additional 137 years if this trend continues. The situation is even worse when considering the $3.65 and $6.85 international poverty lines, with 25.4 per cent and 47.5 per cent of females living in poor households in 2024 and little change expected by 2030. 

Gender-responsive social protection, which includes cash for poor families, maternity leave and pensions, is key for poverty eradication, yet, in 2023, social protection coverage remained far from universal and was significantly lower among women (50.1 per cent compared to 54.6 per cent for men). Only 36.4 per cent of mothers with newborns were covered by maternity benefits. Working-age women’s contributions to social security schemes (29.1 per cent) were much lower than men’s (40.9 per cent), driving a 5.4 percentage-point gap in old-age pensions. Reduced paid work hours due to unpaid care and domestic work, unequal pay and workplace discrimination result in women’s lower income, savings and pensions in old age.  

Enhanced social protection measures for women and girls, particularly amid multiple crises, are critical. A comprehensive SDG Push package of interventions to close gender gaps and empower women, such as through increased access to social protection, essential services and equal wages, could reduce female extreme poverty by 115 million in 2050.

Proportion of the population covered by at least one social protection benefit, by sex, 2023 (percentage)