A STAGGERING three in four people using food banks are women, a charity has found.

FareShare warned that the cost-of-living crisis was hitting women the hardest after its survey also found 37 per cent of people accessing food support were employed.

The charity, which aims to tackle food waste to support social good, said the findings on women ranged from older women dealing with loneliness and isolation, single parents with additional caring responsibilities, or working mothers trying to stretch household budgets to feed their families.

FareShare chief George Wright said: “This survey paints a stark picture of a crisis that shows no signs of easing.

“The fact that almost eight out of 10 people accessing food from FareShare via local charities are women is staggering.”

Fawcett Society chief executive Jemima Olchawski said: “Here is yet more evidence that women are being hit hardest by financial shocks and baked-in economic inequalities.

“We have a stubborn gender pay gap in the UK, which impacts women’s earning power and financial resilience, making us particularly vulnerable to rising costs and stagnating incomes.

“One of the drivers of the gender pay gap is inflexible work which pushes women with caring responsibilities out of the workforce.”

She said: “Fawcett’s recent research showed that 40 per cent of women who aren’t currently working said that access to flexible work would mean they could take on paid work.

“Work needs to work for women; we need to see all jobs offered as flexible by default and our childcare system needs urgent reform to make it affordable and accessible for all families.

“These changes will not only protect women from disadvantage and poverty but they will also provide a much-needed boost to our economy.”