Suchergebnisse

"Welfare mothers are popularly viewed as passively dependent on their checks and averse to work. Reformers across the political spectrum advocate moving these women off the welfare rolls and into the labor force as the solution to their problems. Making Ends Meet offers dramatic evidence toward a different conclusion: In the present labor market, unskilled single mothers who hold jobs are frequently worse off than those on welfare, and neither welfare nor low-wage employment alone will support a family at subsistence levels." "Kathryn Edin and Laura Lein interviewed nearly four hundred welfare and low-income single mothers from cities in four states over a six-year period. They learned the reality of these mothers' struggles to provide for their families: where their money comes from, what they spend it on, how they cope with their children's needs and what hardships they suffer." "Making Ends Meet is a realistic look at a world that many would change yet few understand. If this country's efforts to improve the self-sufficiency of female-headed families are to succeed, reformers must move beyond the myths of welfare dependency and deal with the hard realities of an unrewarding American labor market, the lack of affordable health insurance and child care for single mothers who work, and the true cost of subsistence living."--Jacket

"Welfare mothers are popularly viewed as passively dependent on their checks and averse to work. Reformers across the political spectrum advocate moving these women off the welfare rolls and into the labor force as the solution to their problems. Making Ends Meet offers dramatic evidence toward a different conclusion: In the present labor market, unskilled single mothers who hold jobs are frequently worse off than those on welfare, and neither welfare nor low-wage employment alone will support a family at subsistence levels." "Kathryn Edin and Laura Lein interviewed nearly four hundred welfare and low-income single mothers from cities in four states over a six-year period. They learned the reality of these mothers' struggles to provide for their families: where their money comes from, what they spend it on, how they cope with their children's needs and what hardships they suffer." "Making Ends Meet is a realistic look at a world that many would change yet few understand. If this country's efforts to improve the self-sufficiency of female-headed families are to succeed, reformers must move beyond the myths of welfare dependency and deal with the hard realities of an unrewarding American labor market, the lack of affordable health insurance and child care for single mothers who work, and the true cost of subsistence living."--Jacket

This draws on extensive ethnographic and survey data from low-income neighborhoods in Boston, Chicago, and San Antonio to document the lapses in medical coverage that poor families experience and to reveal the extent of untreated medical conditions, delayed treatment, and irregular health care that women and children suffer

Poor Families in America's Health Care Crisis examines the implications of the fragmented and two-tiered health insurance system in the United States for the health care access of low-income families. For a large fraction of Americans their jobs do not provide health insurance or other benefits and although government programs are available for children, adults without private health care coverage have few options. Detailed ethnographic and survey data from selected low-income neighborhoods in Boston, Chicago, and San Antonio document the lapses in medical coverage that poor families experience and reveal the extent of untreated medical conditions, delayed treatment, medical indebtedness, and irregular health care that women and children suffer as a result. Extensive poverty, the increasing proportion of minority households, and the growing dependence on insecure service sector work all influence access to health care for families at the economic margin

Data obtained from in-depth interviews conducted 1996-1998 with 125 low-income, noncustodial fathers are comparatively examined. Roughly half lived in Austin, TX, which offered minimal welfare benefits & no cash assistance for noncustodial parents; the other half lived in Philadelphia, PA, where welfare benefits were high & cash assistance for noncustodial parents was available. The focus is on both their behavior & their perceptions of their ability to be involved with their children. Examination of the fathers' experiences in the formal, informal, & underground economies notes that many were in a marginal economic situation despite years spent trying to find stable employment. Marginal employment was associated with immature lifestyles, which further limited their ability & willingness to provide financial & emotional support to their children. Nonetheless, many desperately wanted to be a part of their children's lives. The critical importance of steady employment in both a father's ability to parent & desire to "go straight" is discussed. 1 Table, 31 References. J. Lindroth