This monograph looks at the increasing number of poor women and discusses anti poverty programs in regard to this group. Figures are presented which indicate an increase in the number of poor women in the 1970s, and show that Blacks and Hispanics are disproportionately represented among the poor. The paper suggests that the child-bearing role of women and limited occupational, economic, and social opportunities account in part for their poverty. Welfare programs, such as the Work Incentive Program (WIN), Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA), and Aid to Families With Dependent Children-Unemployed Parents (AFDC-UP), are reviewed, and aspects of the welfare system and the labor market that tend to foster poverty among women are described. The paper claims that welfare programs only provide marginal and menial jobs, when they allow women to work at all. It is suggested that a dismantling of the dual welfare system will help to release these women from poverty. Finally, the need is stressed for programs designed to provide jobs for low-skilled women. (AOS)