2016 Reports

Social Welfare: Women and Gender Issues

Maloof, David Louis; Smith, Raymond Arthur

The intersection of gender and social welfare in the United States can be primarily understood through policies that affect single mothers, and because single mothers are so disproportionately impoverished (including incredibly low incomes, rates of healthcare, and higher education completion) social welfare programs critically affect them in outsized ways. The incommensurate effects on this vulnerable group make the welfare policy discussion inherently gendered, even when it does not appear to be, and the shockingly low living standards of single mothers in the US point to need for significant reform in our welfare programs.