The feelings of living in poverty and depending on social assistance: An exploratory study on gender differences in Dibao families in China

Little is known about the differences in feelings of poverty and social assistance receipt among the different genders of heads of Chinese Dibao families. This article makes a preliminary analysis of the feelings of Chinese female heads of Dibao families about living in poverty and depending on social assistance and compares them with those of male heads. It finds that there are gender differences in the experiences between the female and male heads of Dibao families in China. The article argues that social assistance policies should be constructed or correspondingly adjusted in a targeted manner to become gender-sensitive.