Chapter 4: Ensure a healthy standard of living for all

Living in poverty has serious negative impacts on our health, social, emotional and mental development, behaviour and educational outcomes. Children who are born into poverty are more likely to experience a wide range of health problems, including poor nutrition, chronic disease, toxic stress, developmental delay and mental health problems.
(Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. (2022). Healthy People. Poverty. Literature Summary.)

Women are more likely to live in poverty than men. As discussed throughout this report, gender inequalities mean that women still earn less than their male colleagues, fill more part-time jobs than men, are under-represented in business and face gendered barriers to employment due to caring responsibilities. People who experience poverty in their childhood are more likely to experience poverty in adulthood, which contributes to generational cycles of poverty. Adults living in poverty are at a higher risk of adverse health effects from obesity, smoking, substance use and chronic stress. And older adults with lower incomes experience higher rates of disability and mortality. 

The Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) shows that there are 100,000 more children living in poverty than in 2016/17. Child poverty continues to rise, with almost one in three children in the UK living in poverty.
(Department for Work and Pensions. (2022). Households below average income: for financial years ending 1995 to 2001.)

In Gateshead, 2 in 5 children (42.2%) are living in poverty, which is higher than national figures and has increased substantially over time.
(End Child Poverty Coalition. (2022). Child poverty in your area.)

Whilst 1 in 3 children live in poverty, this increases to 1 in 2 for children living in single-parent households. This can be because of several reasons, such as low maintenance payments for the children, high childcare costs and the absence of a second income. 45% of single parents, 90% of which are women, are living in poverty.
(Women's Budget Group (2019). DWP data reveals: women and children continue to be worst affected by poverty.)

The percentage of all single women living in poverty has stalled for 3 years at 25%, where as a small decrease has been seen for all single men in poverty (from 26% down to 23%).
(Women's Budget Group (2019). DWP data reveals: women and children continue to be worst affected by poverty.)

Whilst much of the attention about the cost of living has been around energy costs, gas and electricity, other costs have been increasing at above the rate of inflation too. For example, in 2020 the cost of childcare increased by 4-6%, which was well above the 1.4% inflation rate.80 Such increases continue to impact poorer households the most with the biggest impact being on women. For pensioners, there are 14.2% who live in poverty and this increases to 20% for those living alone.

There is a greater proportion of pensioners living in poverty in Gateshead (19.4%) which is about 9,600 people (The Income Deprivation Affecting Older People Index from 2019). We know that women live longer than men and are more likely to be single pensioners and therefore are at increased risk of living in poverty.
(LG Inform. (2022). Income deprivation affecting old people index (IDAOPI))

Nearly a quarter (23%) of single female pensioners are poor, the highest figure in 15 years.
(Women's Budget Group (2019). DWP data reveals: women and children continue to be worst affected by poverty.)

In Gateshead, community organisations are working to help local people impacted by poverty. The Gateshead Older People's Assembly (opens new window) was established in 2002 to help people aged 50+ to improve their health and maintain independence through activities that promote socialising, learning and exercising.