Living on a budget: a study on urban poverty

This article is the result of the research project, “Analysis on Survival Strategies in Poor Households from a Gender Perspective”, conducted by the Costa Rican Institute of Women's Studies during 2011 and 2012. This study portrays how a group of families from the central district of the Heredia province were living in poverty conditions. It focuses on the economic dimension, particularly on income and expenditure; i.e. how economic resources are generated, how they are used, who is contributing, and how basic needs such as food, housing, healthcare, clothing and recreation are solved.