By my advisor, Dr. Judith Goode!
“Most welfare mothers do not need to be”taught how to work.” The majority of welfare recipients are mothers of young children who have moved back and forth between welfare and work for years. Our research shows that mothers who have to balance children’s needs with the demands of their jobs often face a “Catch-22.”
For example, Christine, a 28-year-old single mother of a 9-year-old son, has been working since she was 16. Employed in a local supermarket, she left her position when the store cut her hours and she could not make ends meet. She applied for TANF, hoping to access education, food stamps, medical care and job assistance. Her case worker developed a plan that included working as a receptionist and attending GED classes two hours a day, leaving enough time to meet her son after school and do her homework. Requiring her to work additional hours without flexibility would derail her plans for a stable job and a house in five years, and would cut time with her son. She would be stuck where she is.”
