Education and Welfare
Education is the key staple to furthering the life standard for all humans. So why is it that the collectors of welfare and public aid are statistically the ones with the least amount of education? Within this paper I plan to address this issue and those that contribute to education, or lack there of, for welfare recipients. I feel this issue has a great deal to do with race, gender and lack of equality in all aspects of public policy.
Let us start at the beginning. Most women on welfare were raised in homes that collected welfare. This is the first major issue. Unfortunately, poverty and collection of welfare are often an issue that relate mostly to women with children. Not men or married families, but women who are in turn the heads of their home. Two out of three adult recipients of public assistance are women. Commonly these are women that became pregnant at a young age, or their partner left them after the child came. Most are lacking a high school diploma or were not able to attend college after graduation because they did not have the money or their grades were not good enough to give them a scholarship. So they are often stuck, left to raise children with no job, or an underpaying as the case often is.
A harsh reality for women is that they have always made less than men. Currently women only make about 77 cents for every dollar that their male counter part makes. My women 's studies teacher told us this semester that when a divorce occurs, the male half 's income rises by 25% and the female 's income decreases by about 60%. This is a horribly awaking statistic, yet this is also a frequent contributing factor that leads women to welfare and poverty. This is where education can be a key factor in getting mothers back on their feet and being able to independently support herself and her family. "In 1997, children under age 6 living with single mothers were five times as likely to be poor (56%) as were those living with both parents (11%)"
Let us start at the beginning. Most women on welfare were raised in homes that collected welfare. This is the first major issue. Unfortunately, poverty and collection of welfare are often an issue that relate mostly to women with children. Not men or married families, but women who are in turn the heads of their home. Two out of three adult recipients of public assistance are women. Commonly these are women that became pregnant at a young age, or their partner left them after the child came. Most are lacking a high school diploma or were not able to attend college after graduation because they did not have the money or their grades were not good enough to give them a scholarship. So they are often stuck, left to raise children with no job, or an underpaying as the case often is.
A harsh reality for women is that they have always made less than men. Currently women only make about 77 cents for every dollar that their male counter part makes. My women 's studies teacher told us this semester that when a divorce occurs, the male half 's income rises by 25% and the female 's income decreases by about 60%. This is a horribly awaking statistic, yet this is also a frequent contributing factor that leads women to welfare and poverty. This is where education can be a key factor in getting mothers back on their feet and being able to independently support herself and her family. "In 1997, children under age 6 living with single mothers were five times as likely to be poor (56%) as were those living with both parents (11%)"
Cited: Strawn, Julie. "Beyond Job Search and Basic Education: Rethinking the Role of Skills in Welfare Reform." Center for Law and Social Policy April 1998. 1616 P Street, NW, Suite 150, Washington, DC 20036 (202) 328-5140 Hacker, Emily; Yankwitt, Ira Wednesday, October 11, 2006. 11:51 am. Abramovitz, Mimi. "A Not So Hidden Agenda Welfare Reform and women Welfare Recipients." The Women 's Review of Books Vol. 14 No. 5 Feb. 1997 pp16.