The Feminization of Poverty

Paper Summary:

This paper looks at how, as the people living below the poverty line increases, so does the percentage of women. It argues that social welfare programs continue to be needed to address the feminization of poverty. The first part of the paper examines key indicators of this "feminization," including the salary gap between men and women and other indicators of women's "economic well-being." The next part then looks at the arguments of welfare reform proponents, who cite the need to move low-income women with children from receiving welfare to gainful employment. The last part of this paper argues that welfare reforms are misguided, since many circumstances in addition to lack of motivation contribute to the inability of many women to "work their way out of poverty." Welfare reform programs that fail to address these needs will thus only result in more poverty for society, in general, and for women, in particular.

From the Paper:

"The welfare reform law placed strict time limits on how long families can receive the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC). There was now a two-year limit on how long a family can continue to receive continuous welfare assistance. After this two year period, the adults were required to find employment. More importantly, there was also a five-year lifetime limit on how long the family can receive welfare assistance. If they go over this figure, families will no longer be eligible to receive federal aid. The change was further emphasized when the AFDC program was re-named Temporary Assistance for Needy Families or TANF (Levinson, Reardon and Smith 1999)."

More papers on The Feminization of Poverty:

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• Analytical Essay # 136834 : "Feminization of Poverty"

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