The pie chart shows the percentage of women in poverty and the bar chart shows poverty rates by sex and age. They are from the United States in 2008.
Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons where relevant.
The pie chart illustrates the proportion of women in poverty by household composition in the United States in 2008 and the bar graph indicates the differences in rates of poverty by sex and age. At first glance it can be seen that single women with no dependent children made up the largest group in poverty and that poverty was highest for women and children.
The pie chart shows that single women suffered from poverty the most. Single women without children represented 54% of the total in poverty, and poverty for those with dependent children stood at just over a quarter. Married women with and without children accounted for the remaining fifth, or 20%.
Turning to the bar chart, poverty rates were highest amongst children, and the rates were roughly equal for males and females, at around 21% for under 5s and 15% for 5-17 year olds. However, from ages 18-24, the gap between men and women widened significantly, with approximately 14% of men in poverty compared to over 20% for women. Poverty declined throughout the adult years for both sexes, but a gap remained and this gap almost doubled in old age.