The reason women are more likely to be on Medicaid is not because we are 'poorer'.  It is because for generations, our government has encouraged the break-up of our families, giving single women more benefits and lower standards for qualification than a full, complete family has.  This is not about our poverty levels.  This is about the continued encouragement by government programs for the break-up of the family. This is where the "It Takes a Village" attitude is at its best!!

This is not part of my answer, but I want to relate an experience I just had last summer.  A young couple moved across the street from me.  They have a 5 year old son.  She was retired military, he was transferred to Greenville, from Virginia by his employer, Whole Foods.  She was having a hard time finding a job, and after several months, she decided to try to get some temporary assistance.  I took her to the Greenville County Social Services office.  All she wanted was TEMPORARY food assistance.  She was told by the Social Service counselor we saw that they could not get food stamps because they made $300 a year more that the limit allowed.  In the same breath, the social worker asked her how long she had been married… then she was told that if she were to "separate" or "file" for divorce, then she could not only receive food stamps, but also housing assistance, medicaid for her and her son, and even a cell phone!

She couldn't believe she had been told by this social worker that divorcing the father of her child was the solution to the short term problems they had!  I, on the other hand, was glad the Lord gave me the serenity to not open my mouth during this exchange!