Showing papers in "Journal of Poverty in 2010"
TL;DR: The authors showed that the controlling image of the welfare mother was ubiquitous in television news coverage of U.S. welfare reform from 1992 to 2007, and that these stereotypes were deployed to support policies intended to control poor women's reproduction and mothering.
Abstract: This analysis demonstrates that the controlling image of the welfare mother was ubiquitous in television news coverage of U.S. welfare reform from 1992–2007. This controlling image consists of racist stereotypes of women on public assistance as childlike, hyperfertile, lazy, and bad mothers. In the discourse on welfare reform, these stereotypes were deployed to support policies intended to control poor women's reproduction and mothering. The welfare mother image was central to framing the debate in terms of the responsibility of public assistance recipients rather than the structural constraints that lead to families to require public assistance.
50 citations
TL;DR: It is confirmed that low-income single mothers with children remain vulnerable to multiple chronic risk factors, including financial and food insecureness, poor health care access, job insecurity, poor access to quality child care, and poor quality housing in unsafe neighborhoods.
Abstract: This article reviews a decade of research and confirms that low-income single mothers with children remain vulnerable to multiple chronic risk factors, including financial and food insecurity, poor health care access, job insecurity, poor access to quality child care, and poor quality housing in unsafe neighborhoods. As a consequence, their health and mental health suffers, increasing the risks they and their children must face on a daily basis. Solutions to problems faced by single mothers and their families are dependent upon the development of short- and long-term policies and programs that address and reduce these risks.
42 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors explored multiple dimensions of the role of transportation in family life and found that although policies to provide access to transportation services for rural families may enhance employment opportunities, other related outcomes and longer term effects require additional study.
Abstract: Findings from three sequential studies build an understanding of the transportation barriers facing poor rural families and the link between transportation access and economic outcomes. An in-depth, longitudinal qualitative study explored multiple dimensions of the role of transportation in family life. The results of this study yielded emergent themes and hypotheses used in the subsequent studies. The second study used multiple methods to analyze Census data, vehicle registration lists, and focus group interviews to identify transportation resources in a rural county and to assess transportation needs and barriers facing welfare recipients. The third study addressed the association between transportation and economic outcomes using a dual frame household survey in a cluster of five counties. The article concludes that although policies to provide access to transportation services for rural families may enhance employment opportunities, other related outcomes and longer term effects require additional study.
37 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors suggest how an intersectional approach can benefit our understanding of social inequalities in rural areas in an effort to better inform rural poverty research and policies, and encourage a more thorough integration of class and age inequalities in intersectional scholarship.
Abstract: Traditionally, poverty scholarship in the U.S. focuses on the levels, trends, and effects of poverty across social categories broadly defined either by race (minorities) or gender (women) or age (children). An intersectional perspective elucidates the complexity of people's social locations by conceptualizing race, class, gender as simultaneously interacting power relations. In this work, we suggest how an intersectional approach can benefit our understanding of social inequalities in rural areas in an effort to better inform rural poverty research and policies. A related goal is to encourage a more thorough integration of class and age inequalities in intersectional scholarship. We conclude by discussing the benefits of a dialog between rural poverty research and an intersectionality perspective.
29 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors assessed the needs and preferences of homeless adolescents and young adults through individual and group interviews with service providers and youth at risk of homelessness, and they recommended face-to-face support that was accessible, flexible, participatory, long-term and offered choice.
Abstract: Homelessness among adolescents and young adults is a growing concern in Canada and other countries, yet little is known about their support needs and support intervention preferences from the perspectives of homeless youth or youth at risk of homelessness. The authors assessed these needs and preferences through individual and group interviews with homeless adolescents and young adults (n = 35) and their service providers (n = 27). The unique perspectives of service providers and homeless youth converged on some issues. Key challenges faced by these youth included social isolation, alienation, low self-worth, lack of resources, and substance abuse. Although some services were available, they did not fully meet existing needs. Participants indicated that interventions should focus on emotional and affirmational support. They recommended face-to-face support that was accessible, flexible, participatory, long-term, and offered choice.
26 citations
TL;DR: Results showed the Latino neighborhood had limited availability and above-average cost of high-fiber bread, andFresh vegetables were more expensive compared to the non-Latino neighborhood, and more stores in the Latinos neighborhood participated in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Food Program.
Abstract: This study aims to assess availability, affordability, and accessibility of food items in a low-income Latino neighborhood within a small city using an on-site food store survey. Store locations were identified by on-site Global Positioning System. Results showed the Latino neighborhood had limited availability and above-average cost of high-fiber bread. Fresh vegetables were more expensive compared to the non-Latino neighborhood, and more stores in the Latino neighborhood participated in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Food Program. The lack of supermarkets, fewer stores with disability access, and the lack of public transportation left Latino residents without a vehicle or with physical disabilities with few food shopping options.
23 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examine women's association with work from the point of accessing work to its outcome on women's well-being and identity, and propose examining work as a key variable in place of gender, while undertaking examination of women and work relationships across occupational sectors.
Abstract: Women's work in developing economies, such as India, does not necessarily present an opportunity to fight poverty. On the contrary, though women are contributing enormously to the social and economic product at national and global levels, they remain at the bottom in the hierarchy of power and rewards in the work place. The primary thesis of this article is that there is a need to examine women's association with work beginning from the point of accessing work to its outcome on women's well-being and identity. The article proposes examining work as a key variable in place of gender, while undertaking examination of women and work relationships across occupational sectors. In doing so, the article reinforces the need to identify the right research questions to address issues of structural inequality and divergence in outcomes for working women's well-being.
22 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the experience of material hardship among EITC recipients and found that those with a bank account are less likely to experience material hardship than those without an account.
Abstract: The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) has helped millions of Americans escape poverty However, there is a dearth of research examining the experience of material hardship among EITC recipients A lack of mainstream banking, disproportionately experienced by the poor, may also be related to increased hardship experiences This study, using a sample of families receiving the EITC, investigates the hardship differences experienced depending on banking status Results show that the overwhelming majority of families receiving the EITC experience some type of material hardship Those with a bank account are less likely to experience material hardship than those without an account Strategies to decrease hardship experiences and increase use of mainstream banking are drawn for policy makers, banking community, consumer protection and community organizations, and government human service administration
22 citations
TL;DR: Results of this study indicate that school and/or work requirements, familial influence, physician advice, and culturally constructed belief systems are factors that heavily influence low-income women's infant-feeding decisions.
Abstract: This article describes a qualitative study designed to evaluate the obstacles to breastfeeding among Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) participants. The aims of the study presented here were to determine why participants chose particular feeding methods, to identify particular barriers to breastfeeding among low-income women, and to explore microlevel, as well as macrolevel, factors that have the potential to increase breastfeeding rates exponentially. Results of this study indicate that school and/or work requirements, familial influence, physician advice, and culturally constructed belief systems are factors that heavily influence low-income women's infant-feeding decisions.
22 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors assess the extent to which infant and child mortality rates in less-developed countries are affected by the percent of domestic populations living in urban slum conditions.
Abstract: Drawing from various bodies of social scientific literature and research, the authors assess the extent to which infant and child mortality rates in less-developed countries are affected by the percent of domestic populations living in urban slum conditions. Results of first-difference panel model estimates of 80 less-developed countries from 1990 to 2005 indicate that growth in the percent of populations living in urban slum conditions positively affects both forms of mortality, and the effects are much more pronounced for African countries than for less-developed countries in Latin America and Asia. These findings hold, net of economic development, fertility rates, world-economic integration, and other factors. Cross-sectional analyses of infant and child mortality rates in 2005 that include additional controls provide further evidence of the mortality/urban slum relationships found in the panel model estimates. The authors conclude by highlighting the theoretical implications of the results and describ...
21 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a study aimed to understand the social and economic factors that impact migration intentions among Mexican adolescents and found that higher levels of pre-migration acculturation were associated with higher intentions to migrate to the United States to live and work.
Abstract: This study aimed to understand the social and economic factors that impact migration intentions among Mexican adolescents. The sample consists of 980 adolescents surveyed in Tijuana, Mexico, in February 2009. Multiple regressions were run controlling for gender, age, parents' education level, and average grades in school. The results indicated that lower socioeconomic status was not a significant predictor of higher intentions to migrate to the United States to work. The results also indicated that higher levels of pre-migration acculturation were associated with higher intentions to migrate to the United States to live and work. Implications for practice, policy, and research are discussed.
TL;DR: This article found that most infractions were considered equally likely to be committed by any social class, respondents linked class categories with infractions that referred to particular social class experiences, and the Poor/Low-Income category was the only one associated with infraction that did not contain class references, and respondents did not associate middle class membership most highly with any infractions.
Abstract: What associations exist between class membership and perceptions of misbehavior? Participants received a list of 174 infractions and crimes, and were asked with which social class category (poor, working class, middle class, or wealthy) they most associated each. Results indicated that (a) most infractions were considered equally likely to be committed by any social class, (b) respondents linked class categories with infractions that referred to particular social class experiences, (c) the Poor/Low-Income category was the only one associated with infractions that did not contain class references, and (d) respondents did not associate middle-class membership most highly with any infractions.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors used a feminist lens to examine self-reported differences between male and female homelessness and found that women are significantly more likely to report family and economic-related causes as their reasons for becoming homeless than men.
Abstract: Using a feminist lens, this exploratory study discusses self-reported differences between male and female homelessness. A sample of homeless individuals (N = 105) in a mid-size southern city was collected to investigate the factors associated with the growing female homeless population. The data reveal that while some root causes of homelessness such as poverty, lack of affordable housing, cut backs in the welfare system, mental illness, drug dependency, and lack of state support, are seen throughout the homeless population, domestic violence and sexual abuse disproportionately impacts women. The results of this study indicate that while women may be less likely to become homeless than their male counterparts, homeless women are significantly more likely to report family and economic-related causes as their reasons for becoming homeless. According to the most recent statistics by the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, of the 3.5 million people who are homeless, 17% are women and 39% are chil...
TL;DR: This paper found that the per capita income of the poor has remained virtually constant over the last 30 years and that the relative income share of poor decreased, and their per-cap income deficit increased, thus in relative terms the average poor person has gotten poorer.
Abstract: From 1987 to 2007 the rich got richer. This study documents this trend and then examines whether the poor have gotten poorer. It finds that the per capita income of the poor has remained virtually constant. One reason for this outcome is the growing proportion of the poor who are unrelated individuals. Also, the relative income share of the poor decreased, and their per capita income deficit increased. Thus in relative terms the average poor person has gotten poorer. In the late 1990s incomes of poor families remained fairly constant because wage gains were offset by declines in welfare.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the magnitude and determinants of rural poverty at Zeghe Peninsula based on the dimension of poverty expressed in terms of consumption expenditure, which was done based on a questionnaire survey from 200 sample households.
Abstract: The article examines the magnitude and determinants of rural poverty at Zeghe Peninsula. It is done based on the dimension of poverty expressed in terms of consumption expenditure. Data were collected through questionnaire survey from 200 sample households. The Foster-Greer-Thorbeck (FGT) measure of intensity of poverty and the logit model were used. FGT is composed of additively decomposable poverty indices of incidence, depth and severity. Based on the FGT result, 68.5% are poor, and 18.7% constitutes the poorest of the poor in the Peninsula (i.e., severity). The percentage shortfall of consumption expenditure of the poor from the poverty line (i.e., depth) is 32.8%. From the logit model, variables like large land holding size, better suitability of land for coffee production, participation of households in contractual farming activities, engagement of households in petty trading, beekeeping and fishing activities decreased the probability of households to be poor. High dependency ratio and participatio...
TL;DR: The authors examined the structural changes that occurred between 1990 and 2000 in the two poorest regions in the United States and analyzed the associations between these changes and the substantial reduction of poverty witnessed in these areas over the decade.
Abstract: This study examines the structural changes that occurred between 1990 and 2000 in the two poorest regions in the United States—the Texas Borderland and the Lower Mississippi Delta—and analyzes the associations between these changes and the substantial reduction of poverty witnessed in these areas over the decade. Results show that both regions experienced noteworthy changes during the 1990s in the aggregate characteristics commonly associated with poverty. Further, results from multivariate models indicate that counties with high initial poverty rates saw poverty decline the most, with job growth and net in-migration contributing to this decline. Conversely, smaller declines in the population younger than age 15 and greater increases in the share of families headed by females were associated with lesser reductions in poverty over the decade. The results also reveal that the underlying mechanisms influencing the reduction of poverty differed between these regions in important respects. Increases in finance...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined the impact of intimate partner abuse on women's employment in Trinidad and Tobago using a qualitative method and data from in-depth interviews with 17 Afro-Trinidadian women.
Abstract: This study examines the impact of intimate partner abuse on women's employment in Trinidad and Tobago. Using a qualitative method and data from in-depth interviews with 17 Afro-Trinidadian women, the study found that 12 women were able to seek and maintain employment without interference from their abusers. Data analyses suggest that abusers monitored the women's work schedules and manipulated them into using their earnings for household expenses. While five women were unemployed, only two were prevented from working despite severe economic need. The findings also show that three women were harassed or stalked at their workplaces. Three women who told their employers or co-workers about the abuse received mixed responses. Fourteen women hid their abuse from co-workers because of shame or fear of stigmatization. The findings further highlight the need for workplace interventions for dealing with partner abuse. Implications for research, practice and policy are also discussed.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors use data collected from 22 focus groups conducted with low- and moderate-income parents from four states and the District of Columbia to explore the ways in which parents make decisions about increasing hours of employment.
Abstract: Employment promotion has dominated antipoverty policies in the United States over the last several decades. Increased employment, especially in low-wage jobs, has not generated economic stability for many parents and has brought to light uneasy tensions between increased earnings, less time with children, and reduced public supports that families face in moving up the economic ladder. We use data collected from 22 focus groups conducted with low- and moderate-income parents from four states and the District of Columbia to explore the ways in which parents make decisions about increasing hours of employment.
TL;DR: This paper explored factors that contribute to relocated public housing residents' satisfaction and collective efficacy in their new residence, and concluded that perceptions of the quality of the new neighborhood are associated with residents' sense of satisfaction, and suggested better formulating relocation policies to increase the likelihood that residents will feel integrated postrelocation.
Abstract: Over the past several decades, many public housing residents have relocated out of impoverished central city developments through a variety of programs aimed to deconcentrate poverty. This article explores factors that contribute to relocated public housing residents' satisfaction and collective efficacy in their new residence. Results from interviews with relocated public housing residents in the Southwest indicate that perceptions of the quality of the new neighborhood are associated with residents' sense of satisfaction and collective efficacy. The article concludes with suggestions for better formulating relocation policies to increase the likelihood that residents will feel integrated postrelocation.
TL;DR: In this article, it was hypothesized that mastery would moderate the relationship between stress on depression among mothers living in poverty (N = 2256) and that difficulties may be more predictive of depression for those with low compared to high mastery.
Abstract: Mastery is the extent to which one believes their own outcomes are under their control and is an important coping mechanism in negotiating difficult life circumstances. Furthermore, increased mastery may lead to greater psychological functioning. It was hypothesized that mastery would moderate the relationship between stress on depression among mothers living in poverty (N = 2256). Although stress predicted depression among mothers with low and high mastery, the link was stronger for mothers with low mastery. This supports the stress-buffering hypothesis, indicating that difficulties may be more predictive of depression for those with low compared to high mastery. Professionals implementing programs to assist low-income mothers may want to focus on concepts such as mastery and empowerment.
TL;DR: The authors examine a set of these ads and analyze the ways in which they construct social problems, showing that corporations play a unique role in obfuscating the structural causes of poverty and in shaping our understanding of the problem more broadly.
Abstract: During the 1980s and 1990s corporations publicized their “social responsibilities” in popular print media. These ads make claims about issues such as the environment, consumer protection, neighborhood revitalization, education, arts and entertainment, and health. We examine a set of these ads and analyze the ways in which they construct social problems. We focus on ads about poverty, assessing the meaning and impact of business discourse about poor people and economic inequality. In showing that ads typically construct poverty by promoting quick-fix solutions for particular individuals, we argue that corporations play a unique role in obfuscating the structural causes of poverty and in shaping our understanding of the problem more broadly. As a new channel for claims making, such corporate ads complement and contradict the messages of other media, uniquely establishing corporate authority and influencing public discourse.
TL;DR: The recent publication by Loic Wacquant, Punishing the Poor: The Neoliberal Government of Social Insecurity, has been the subject of numerous review symposia.
Abstract: The recent publication by Loic Wacquant, Punishing the Poor: The Neoliberal Government of Social Insecurity, has been the subject of numerous review symposia. It has been covered by international m...
TL;DR: This paper argued that the rural poverty rate is being underestimated, and there is increasing income disparity in China, and suggested that a new relative poverty line should be introduced in rural areas in China to enable the population to share in the achievements of economic development.
Abstract: In 1980s, the rural poverty line was set up in rural China. Although official statistics apparently reveal substantial reduction in rural poverty, the insensitivity of the poverty line to food price changes has rendered it unable to reflect the consumption power of poor farmers in rural China. This article argues that the rural poverty rate is being underestimated, and there is increasing income disparity in China. It is suggested that a new relative poverty line should be introduced in rural areas in China to enable the population to share in the achievements of economic development. This is also relevant to other countries that are having stark rural–urban income disparity.
TL;DR: The authors explored the impact of transport infrastructure on the urban poor in a sample of 15 Sub-Saharan African countries, over the period 1980 to 2000, and found that transport infrastructure in the form of paved road length is indeed an efficient tool in fighting urban poverty.
Abstract: Urban poverty, as well as the role of transport in addressing it, has not figured largely in the assessment of poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa. This article bridges the gap by exploring the impact of transport infrastructure on the urban poor in a sample of 15 Sub-Saharan African countries, over the period 1980 to 2000. The results from the fixed effect and dynamic panel models reveal that transport infrastructure in the form of paved road length is indeed an efficient tool in fighting urban poverty. Hence the main policy concern is how to improve access of the urban poor to such an asset.
TL;DR: The authors reviewed existing literature and presented primary data on the United States' nonstandard workforce to make predictions about its possible growth during the current economic crisis, concluding that there will likely be a cyclical decline in temporary-help employment, contrasted with continued long-term growth of independent contractors.
Abstract: Many workers experience nonstandard work arrangements, such as being part time, an independent contractor, or working non-daytime hours. This article reviews existing literature and presents primary data on the United States' nonstandard workforce to make predictions about its possible growth during the current economic crisis. Analyses suggest substantial but temporary growth in the involuntary part-time workforce, as well as continued long-term growth of part-time primary earners. There will likely be a cyclical decline in temporary-help employment, contrasted with continued long-term growth of independent contractors. Existing research does not suggest growth in the prevalence of nonstandard schedules.
TL;DR: In spite of their relative success in countries as diverse as Sweden, Italy, and England, neither a national health care delivery system nor a single payer plan were ever seriously considered, let alone debated, in the current effort to reform health care in the United States.
Abstract: In spite of their relative success in countries as diverse as Sweden, Italy, and England, neither a national health care delivery system nor a single payer plan were ever seriously considered, let alone debated, in the current effort to reform health care in the United States. While this may come as little surprise, at least to American observers, more puzzling is the question of why the country with arguably the least cost-effective health care system in the world, would have such a hard time with the so-called public option. Why, in the midst of a perfect storm of economic need, favorable public opinion, and rigorous support by democratic activists, has the so-called public option been so successfully marginalized? This article attempts to answer this question by looking more in depth at the role of U.S. political culture and the broader structural and institutional forces that have obstructed and continue to obstruct comprehensive public solutions to common socio-economic problems.