For many single mothers and displaced homemakers (homemakers who must suddenly enter the workforce), jobs often do not signify escape from poverty. 1990 U.S. Census data indicate that the number of single mothers and displaced homemakers rose dramatically during the 1980s. Workforce participation for this group also rose during that decade, but the Census shows that a greater percentage of this group lived in poverty in 1990 than had in 1980, a far greater percentage than that of the U.S. population at large. These women are dramatically over-represented in service occupations and under-represented in non-traditional jobs. Their housing status tends to be unstable, with most of them renting or sharing housing and less than one-third being homeowners. This information points to the need for government intervention. Improved federal education and training programs could be important pathways to economic self-sufficiency for both displaced homemakers and single mothers. Beneficial changes could also be implemented in unemployment insurance compensation, labor laws, pay equity, health care, child support, microenterprise development, housing, and job creation. Finally, it seems likely that the 1990 Census undercounts the households of single women and displaced homemakers, so that the problems often suffered by these women may be more common than suggested by the available data. 41 charts are included on the following topics: (1) demographics; (2) poverty; (3) employment; (4) income; and (5) housing. (CC)