РефератыИностранный языкWeWelfare Essay Research Paper The Aid for

Welfare Essay Research Paper The Aid for

Welfare Essay, Research Paper


The Aid for Families with Dependent Children program, the


federal welfare funding that provides the most significant chunk of


money to children nationwide, distributes increasing dollars to


unwed mothers and their families. Over the past three decades, the


welfare system has shifted from serving the needs of widows and


their children to providing for vast numbers of young, single


mothers. In light of this transition, it is important to look at


the role the AFDC program plays in promoting the division of


parents, while also considering the impact that the social stigma


welfare carries has on the ability of mothers to get off the move


towards self-sufficiency.


AFDC provides cash assistance for single parents (mothers)


with children with at least one child under the age of 18. Created


by the Social Security Act of 1935 to assist widows the program had


limited appeal. By 1969, increased divorce rates caused divorced


mothers to become the primary users of the AFDC program, while also


providing for a small population of single mothers who were never


married (London). Over the last 30 years, the focus of the program


has shifted once again to focus it’s primary responsibilities


towards single, un-wed mothers and their children.


There are two discernible groups of unwed mothers who collect


welfare payments: divorced mothers and mothers who never married.


Beharov and Sullivan reported that in 1994, 2/3 of the children on


Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) were the product of


relationships that never culminated in marriage, while only 30


percent had separated or divorced parents. The other small amount


accounts for the percentage who are children of widows or the


disabled (83). It is interesting to note this percentages while


recognizing that the program began to provide for the needs of


widows and their children, and has become a service that provides


for parents who were never married.


There are few statistics that accurately reflect the entire


population of AFDC mothers. Clearly these women represent a


cross-section of the nations poor. Contrary to the belief that AFDC


recipients are uneducated and of ethnic minorities, studies show


that the population represents a variety of women who have a vast


number of financial, child care and housing needs (London 185).


Single mothers many times carry the entire burden of


responsibility for their children. Though the Family Support Act of


1988 has sought to collect child support from the non-participatory


parent, few single mothers have reaped the benefit of the limited


enforcement of this law (Wilson & Sylvester 34).


Out-of-wedlock childbearing is an increasing sociological


phenomenon. Conservative proponents of the welfare program have


passed supported legislation to limit the cash assistance that can


be provided to unmarried teen-age mothers and their children, and


assumes that this limitation will impact the rate of illegitimacy


and single parenthood (Sandefur B7). The welfare reforms clearly do


not address the issues that create poverty; their misguided attempt


to find a quick solution to the ills created by the nations poor is


void of an understanding of some basic issues related to women’s


dependence on welfare. First, lawmakers assume that the welfare


state creates the problem of out-of-wedlock pregnancies by providing


support. Un-wed mothers often reflect sociological and societal


concerns, and a focus on efforts to promote education, provide birth


control and support esteem building programs would benefit the


system more than the limitations set in welfare reforms (Sandefur


B7).


Studies of a number of foreign countries in Western Europe


offer insight into the changes necessary in the U.S. and their


impact. The presupposition that single motherhood directly


corresponds with welfare funding is a misguided conclusion. In both


the Netherlands and Germany, welfare programs provide more complete


and comprehensive welfare packages for their unwed parents and


children. But these programs have not acted as support for


increases in single-parent births. Instead, both of these countries


have far fewer unmar

ried participants in their programs than the


U.S. (Sandefur B7). But the AFDC program by design presents


concerns for low-income parents and often encourages parents not to


marry due to the constraints of the program. Though called Aid for


Families with Dependent Children, the program does not support the


notion of the nuclear family. Instead, the program only provides


for children of single parents, or families with at least one


disabled parent. So while many single mothers might chose to marry


their child’s father, the loss of their support through AFDC might


make this financially impossible.


Federal legislators focus on the impact that marriage could


have on rescuing the constantly struggling welfare system. The call


for a return to family values has pushed the buttons of many


feminists who hope to relieve women of their financial


interdependency on men. But many consider marriage the primary


source of economic security for women and the best escape from


welfare (Besharov & Sullivan 81). Encouraging marital unions may


become a primary focus towards directing single mothers away from


welfare.


It is interesting to note the significance of marriage in the


solution of welfare dependency in light of welfare laws that


discourage it. The finical penalties for low income parents who


marry almost poisons many of the nation’s poor away from the


institution (Besharov & Sullivan 81). It is also clear to see that


welfare packages, while discouraging marriage, also provide a


disappointing look at the wage situation in the U.S. Many


recipients cannot afford to make the transition from aid to work


because of the effect that this change would have on their income.


Many welfare recipient families with two children nationwide receive


over $12,000 in cash, food stamps and Medicaid benefits, as well as


up to $5,000 in paid housing (Besharov & Sullivan). Figures like


these out compete wage earners re-entering the work force. The


current push towards a working minimum wage will have a direct


impact on whether welfare mothers chose to enter job training


programs or remain within the programs. It is discouraging to note


that many recipients would like to work, but clearly cannot


relinquish their aid for jobs that pay little more than $5.00/hour.


The stigma attached receiving AFDC clearly reeks havoc on the


self-esteem of women who hope to re-enter the work force. Many


employers perceive recipients of public assistance programs as


deviant and lazy. These preconceived notions discredit the status


of workers and increase the cycle of despair that leads many to


return from jobs to AFDC. Resent research support the theory that


most AFDC recipient utilize the program during short term


difficulties, and few depend on the program for long-term care


(Harris 406). Focusing on this as a starting point, it is clear


that the solution to welfare reform comes from a movement towards


jobs. Though many women support the responsibility of fathers and


hope that the Family Support Act will help them receive help with


their children, few depend on the enforcement of this law. Instead,


the focus of women, both within the system and in the work force,


must be on training, educating, and hiring former AFDC recipients to


promote a new independence (Harris 407).


Works Cited


Besharov, D. & Sullivan, T. “Welfare Reform and Marriage,” Public


Interest, (1996) : Fall, pp. 81-94.


Harris, Kathleen. “Life After Welfare: Women, Work and Repeat


Dependency,” American Sociological Review, (1996) : June,


pp. 405-426.


Jarrett, Robin. “Welfare Stigma Among Low-Income, African American


Single Mothers,” Family Relations, (1996) : October, pp. 368-


374.


London, Rebecca. “The Difference Between Divorced and Never-Married


Mothers’ Participation in the Aid for Families with Dependent


Children Program,” Journal of Family Issues, (1996): March,


pp. 170-185.


Sandefur, Gary. “Welfare Doesn’t Cause Illegitimacy and Single


Parenthood,” Chronicle of Higher Education, (1996): October,


pp. B7-B8.


Wilson, J. & Sylvester, K. “No More Home Alone,” Policy Review,


(1996):


March, pp. 34-39.

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