ABSTRACT
ALTHOUGH the United States is the richest nation in the world, millions of adults and children live in poverty. In 1995, 36.4 million people were reported to be living below the poverty threshold, which then was $15,569 for a family of four (Weinberg, 1996). Alarmingly, 40% of those in poverty are children. This rate is the high est for any age group, with one in five children living below the poverty level. The poverty rate is significantly greater for minorities than for nonminorities and for female-headed households than for male-or two-parent-headed households (Sabol, 1991; Weinberg, 1996). In addition, the risk of being poor during older adulthood is significantly greater for women than for men (Hardy & Hazelrigg, 1993).
