Women and crisis. Are social interventions gender sensitive?

The recent economic crisis impacts on the lives of individuals and families and redefines roles, behavior patterns, expectations and individual strategies. Among the theoretical constructs to understand the transformations underway in the Mediterranean welfare, the theme 'gender' it appears not yet examined. As a broad and multidisciplinary literature shows, poverty is not gender neutral, but it is also studied and addressed on the basis of intrafamily dynamics and inclusion in the labor market. In fact, women experience a double weakness: one, inside the family institution, which still relegates them to a secondary position and dependent on the male one, placing them at risk of strong vulnerability; the other, referring to the labor market, which places them in a fragile and precarious position. The article deals with the issue of female poverty and presents a research carried out in the Roman territory. The study - focused on the experimentation of the social card and conducted through qualitative approach - questions the ways in which gender specificities are considered and addressed by social interventions.