When considering disabled women, the majority of women are living below the poverty line, which is a large portion than of men with disabilities. For example, "women with disabilities under 35 had an average income of $13,000, and women with disabilities over 55 had an average income of under $14,000" (para.10). .
The association between women and poverty is even stronger when looking at non-dominant ethnic groups and women of minority. Aboriginal women are more likely to live below the poverty line, than Caucasian women or Aboriginal men (Morris, 2014). In Canada, "the average annual income of Aboriginal women is $13,300" (Morris, 2014, para.13). In addition to low income, Morris notes that they also have difficulty getting housing and services, both on and off the reserve. .
Similarly, (Morris,2014) finds that women of color have lower income than Caucasian women, as "the average annual income for a woman of color in Canada is $16,621, almost $3000 less than the average for other women ($19,495)"(para. 15). Moreover, Women of color are mainly employed as part-time and temporary workers, and often have to live in substandard, segregated housing. As a result of their employment and housing situation, Morris suggests that they are more like to have health condition and be subject to violence. Immigrant women also face hardship with respect to their employment. As Morris suggests their struggle is due to racism and lack of recognition of their credentials and work experience. Morris (2014) finds that immigrant women earn far less compared to Canadian women as "new immigrant women between the ages of 25-44 who have a university degree and who worked full-year, full-time earn $14,000 less than Canadian-born women" (Morris, 2014, para. 17). Also, immigrant women who suffer from abuse may find it more difficult to access supports and ultimately escape the abuse if they are financially dependent on their male partner who may or may not have sponsored them to be in Canada.
