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V. FINDINGS CONCERNING THE TWELVE CRITICAL AREAS OF CONCERN
5.1. Women and Poverty (A)
Both income inequality and poverty have risen over the past 20 years. A substantial shift in poverty
has taken place; children and young adults are today more likely to be poor than the population as a
whole. Women are more vulnerable to income poverty than men. This is especially the case for
single mothers (a category which has grown substantially), older women, immigrant and ethnic
minority women, long-term unemployed and inactive women.
The gendered division of work in families directly affects women's access to and participation in the
labour market. The unequal sharing of work in families, together with persistent gender inequalities
and discrimination in the labour market, have severe effects on women's poverty, including
entitlements to social protection.
Employment is a key factor for social inclusion and offers the most important means of escaping
poverty. Being employed and earning wages are crucial for the economic independence of women
and men, but also having equal access to the social security system and to owning and/or
controlling assets such as land and housing. Against the background of rising income inequality and
poverty, especially in some categories, and the economic and financial crisis extra efforts are
needed to make a decisive impact on the eradication of poverty by 2010.
EU commitments to achieve the objectives of the Beijing PfA
The MS and the European Commission have made a commitment to make a decisive impact on the
eradication of poverty by 2010, considering that building a more inclusive European Union is an
essential element in achieving the Union's ten-year strategic goal of sustained economic growth,
more and better jobs and greater social cohesion, in the context of the Lisbon Strategy (2000). The
European Council invited the MS in March 2002 to set targets for significant reductions in the
numbers of people at risk of poverty and social exclusion.
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