Preface.
Acknowledgments.
1.Introduction: Putting a Face on Welfare.
Critical and Feminist Frameworks.
Specific Contributions of This Study of Lived Experience.
Welfare and Public Policy.
Where Are the Voices of Welfare Recipients in the Discussion?
A National Profile of Welfare Recipients.
Who Participated in This Study?
Conclusion and Organization.
Critical Thinking Questions
2.Historical and Persisting Dilemmas: How Do We Explain Poverty, What Should We Do about It?
History of Cash Assistance.
Welfare Reform: Ending Welfare As We Know It.
Explanations of Poverty and Welfare Use.
Individualism.
Social Structuralism.
Culture of Poverty.
Fatalism.
Critical Thinking Questions.
3.Stigma and Discrimination.
Awareness of Societal Attitudes Toward Welfare Recipients.
Racism and Welfare.
Contexts Where Stigma and Discrimination Occur.
Managing Stigma.
Denial.
Distancing Themselves From Other Welfare Recipients.
Blaming External Forces: It's Not My Fault.
Extolling the Importance of Motherhood.
Critical Thinking Questions.
4.Why Welfare?
The Influence of Social Structure.
Employment.
The Risk of Losing Health Insurance.
Childcare.
Fathers' Involvement.
Transportation.
Racism and Sexism.
The Welfare System Breeds Dependence on the System.
Fatalism.
Bad Luck.
Poor Health.
The Termination of Relationships.
Violence.
Why the Inconsistency between Explanations of Their Own and Others' Use of Welfare.
Critical Thinking Questions.
5.Day to Day Living and Decision Making.
Daily Activities: Wild Living or Depressing Routine?
Making Ends Meet with The Check.
Living and Surviving on Food Stamps.
Juggling Bills.
Coping with the Stress.
Affording Life's Luxuries.
Supplementing Welfare.
Critical Thinking Questions.
6.Living and Surviving Welfare: The Importance of Family, Friends, and Formal Support.
Informal Support: Help From Families, Friends and Neighbors, and Children's Fathers.
Assistance from Families.
Assistance from Friends and Neighbors.
Assistance from Children's Fathers.
Formal Support: Help from Charities and Social Services.
Working Side Jobs: Is This Fraud?
Critical Thinking Questions.
7.Insiders' Perspectives on the Welfare System.
Florida WAGES: A Case Example.
The Role of the Government.
Opinions of the Welfare System.
Strengths of the Welfare System.
Weaknesses of the System
Welfare Reforms.
Time Limits.
Work Requirements.
Family Caps.
Ideas for Reform.
Critical Thinking Questions.
8.Getting Off of Welfare.
The Women in the Middle: Increasing Human Capital Is Only One Answer.
Education and Employment Training
Work Experience
The Importance of Our Social Structure.
Not Enough Jobs.
The Type of Jobs Available for Women on Welfare.
The Value of Health Insurance
Why Some Women on Welfare Are Hesitant to Take Jobs.
Critical Thinking Questions.
9.Conclusion: Lessons Learned and Visions of Change.
The Gendered Nature of Welfare and Welfare Reform.
Has Welfare Reform Been a Success or Failure?
The Reasons for Its Failure.
Insights from Other Countries.
Critical Thinking Questions.
Websites of Interest.
References.
Index.
