Public Service Alliance of Canada BC

Low-income women in Canada face increasing inequality in terms of their health, according to a report just published by the Canadian Association of Social Workers (CASW).

The fourth in a series of CASW reports on women and poverty, The Declining Health and Well-Being of Low Income Women in Canada: A Preventable Tragedy explores the connectionsbetween the income of women and their health and concludes that the health of low-income women is being compromised.

“The socio-economic links to health are well documented nationally and internationally,” says Veronica Marsman, president of CASW. “This paper finds that significant differences exist in the life expectancy, onset and intensity of illness, and frequency of violence in the lives of low income Canadian women.”

The lives of low-income Canadians are shortened between one to two years. Poor women in Canada have a 73% likelihood of reaching age 75, whereas the richest Canadian women have an almost 80% chance of doing so. These numbers are of particular concern given recent information from the National Council of Welfare that 4.9 million people in Canada live in poverty.

The CASW report presents a set of policy proposals to improve the living conditions, and subsequent health, of low-income women. In particular, understanding and addressing the declining health of low-income women requires a holistic approach to health care that recognizes the importance of prevention and the many issues associated with poverty. The health of low-income women can only improve when factors such as housing, food adequacy, the need for early childhood care, and income security are addressed.

The report concludes that governments cannot separate health and social services. According to Marsman, “This report clearly indicates that not addressing poverty increases the demands placed on an already over-burdened health care system. Given the costs associated with health care, using government resources to ensure an adequate standard of living for all Canadians would be a much better investment.”