Women and poverty: the effects on reproductive status

National surveys, over the years, have provided evidence of relationship between poverty and health. In the United States, access to health care is generally dependent on the ability to pay for it. As a consequence, poor women are dependent upon government-funded social-welfare programs to attain access to health care. This paper examines the relationship between poverty and several indicators of reproductive status, and concludes that there is a relationship between poverty and poor reproductive status. The health gap between poor and nonpoor women is related to the absence of financial and other resources that dictate lifestyle.