Stuck In Poverty Amid Signs Of Recovery

Fatima Goss Graves, who tracks poverty and employment stats at the National Women's Law Center, called the poverty numbers a "disaster." She's seen the same dynamics facing the most vulnerable group in the American economy since the end of the recession.

That group, according to the Census Bureau, includes more than 46 million people living at or below the poverty line, which the federal government defines as a family of four making $23,283 a year or less, not including government benefits like food stamps.

While there have been signs of a recovery, Graves says their benefits have not yet reached the bottom of the economic ladder.

"The recovery for many people has looked very different. The jobs that are coming back are some of the lowest paying jobs," she says.

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Graves says in today's economy, having a job doesn't necessarily mean you're not scraping by.

"Even when women are working full-time, they may still be in poverty," she explains. "Even as the economy is doing better, women are not doing better."