Roth-Engendering Inequality

Roth -Engendering inequality: Processes of Sex-Segregation on (within occupations) Wall Street
1. What method did Roth use in her study?

Qualitative
76 MBA grads randomly selected using random numbers table

2. P. 205 Do men and women with the same job preferences and human capital receive comparable earning?

No, there was $200,000 difference in earnings between men and women in the same positions p. 209
p. 205: women have different earning even when their job preferences and investments in human capital are identical women are hired into lower paying jobs because employers and or recruiters have a bias against hiring or promoting women into higher-paying jobs
3. Be able to discuss where the greatest differential in earnings
occur – by type of work on Wall Street? By gender? An interaction of the two? By cohort (e.g. point in career)
By type of work (p. 210):

The greatest differential in earnings occurs at the highest levels of employment at the top of the wage chain. By the time Wall St workers get there the women have mostly been weeded out due to biases, the nature of the work; men hiring men unless there are no men available, and it takes 7 or so years to get that high so a lot of women have changed directions by getting married, starting families or succombing to the coercive forces and hostility within these occupations (p. 205) and “token” pressure (“revolving doors” metaphor)
4. What is the most important time period for receiving promotions? 206

first 4 years are long hard hours each week first 7 years promotions are “lock-step” occur at regular intervals after 4 years promoted to vice pres
2-3 more yrs promoted to Senior vice pres if can’t hang in there during first 4 years can never regain access to the profession’s fast track segregation occurs within first 5-7 yrs and determines professional track (206) with women being disproportionately pushed out of of the highest paying jobs

5. Describe the 3 types of work found in securities firms on Wall Street. Possible Essay topic!

3 broad areas on “sell side” investment banking corporate finance public finance long unpredictable hours senior bankers fewer hours client based junior bankers more hours 80/week (206) mathematical based grunt work (206) specialized group industry region financial product majority of financial compensation in form of year-end bonuses individual team members ranked in relation to one another and compensated accordingly (where does that leave female employees?) sales and trading buy and sell securities commission/bonuses stressful during market hours direct contact with clients entertain clients after hours divided into groups industry region product equity research in depth analysis of companies and market trends advise investment bankers of companies that be advantageous prospective clients for underwriting or M&A business track stocks, scout for merger ideas, seek lucrative underwriting business, generate sales commissions support other functions more predictable hours
$200-$350,000 in 97
3 areas on “buy side” merchant banking proprietary trading purchase stocks and bonds manage portfolios commissions asset management purchase stocks and bonds manage portfolios commissions How did earnings vary by type of work?

some were more from commission, others from bonuses
Equity research $200,000 - $350,000 top ranking analysts $600k - over a million highest income in corporate finance ($539) > sales and trading ($506) > public finance ($260)
What role did bonuses play in total earnings?

Investment bankers received most of their compensation from year end Bonuses sales and trading received bonuses and/or commission based on 3 variables total firm revenues for the year revenue production of group and proportionate contribution to firm’s profits performance of individual over a year relative to peers AS EVALUATED BY OTHERS WITHIN THE GROUP
Which work required the longest hours?

junior bankers more hours 80/week (206) mathematical based grunt work (206)

Based on page 210, the work required the longest hours is investment bankers (work long and unpredictable hours) in comparison to sale/trading and equity research. This partially explains why fewer women opt to/ are able to stay and work in this section but equity research for example, instead (tend to work more predictable hours than investment bankers) (p211).

Did work hours vary by gender?

They varied by gender mostly because the positions varied by gender with the men more likely to get promotions to positions that required fewer hours.

6. Were the gendered patterns in the type of work men and women initially entered?
I don’t really understand this question

sex-segregation by function or work group produced gender inequality in earnings if women disproportionately occupied lower-paying jobs in the firm women lower paid (214) women more likely to start in functions that paid less (support roles,research equity and public finance) men more likely start in asset management or corporate finance)
NO males worked in public finance
To what types of work did people shift?

Women shifted to equity research men shifted to highest pay, corporate finance women moved FROM corporate finance down to research
Men moved UP to corporate finance

Did the “pushes” and “pulls” that account for change in type of work differ for men and women? Explain

men and women equally likely be fired (4/3 ratio) (p. 215) transferred against their will (2/1)
Poor deal flow (6 women , 2 men) pushes for women included pregnancy discrimination time demands hostile environment disappointing bonuses for men desire to relocate outside of NY City family pressure time with children time requirement (wasn’t feeling it) women most likely were pushed out of higher paying positions into lower paying or even into different firms altogether
Men who experienced discrimination moved laterally and often into more lucrative positions
Men chose to move while women were forced no men described discrimination on the basis of gender pulls for men: entrepreneurial opportunities family business

6. Were most workers (male and female) married?

Most of the male workers were married most of the female workers were unmarried. once the female workers married they were expected to stay home and promote the man’s career and/or have babies
I also think that having unmarried women in the firm was part of the tokenism, she was there to look at
Did they have children?

If the women had children they expected to quit
If men had children they were expected to have wives who stayed home with them
Were female Wall Street workers likely to have married professionals? Yes 81%
What about male Wall Street workers?

Not necessarily
All 5 of the men who cited lifestyle issues were the sole earners
7. Were any men primarily responsible for child rearing?

no
They left their positions because they had a choice, not because they were compelled to do so by discrimination or hostile environment
When men moved jobs to have more time with their children, did they lose earnings?

No, they often started their own company and often made more money
What about women?

women nearly always moved down the pay scale or even left work completely
8. What types of discrimination did women face?

gender pregnancy domesticity: most of the men had wives who were homemakers and combining career and family failed to fit a mold for family that these men could fully understand
What role did homophily in client relations play in this discrimination?

Clients had more confidence in male employees face to face entertaining and client relationships characterized by homosocial bonding activities male colleagues would pass tips to male colleagues and leave the females out of the loop
Evaluations of performance - because the women were tokenized they were judged more harshly than the male counterparts, they were more visible, and more likely to receive harsher evals so that bonuses were less or fewer
Did this factor increase in importance as women moved through their careers?

Yes because the men were able to network more thoroughly due to info being passed from other men where women would get left out of the loop

Do you think things have changed much? (Keep in mind when this research was done)

No

How do you think market conditions have affected patterns of discrimination?
???????????????????
Pressures to work long hours?
??????????????
9. Describe how pregnancy affected the women’s ability to do their job.
Women were often treated poorly by men if they were pregnant. Many of the women were told or given the impression that they should not continue to work their if they were having children because it was believed by the men that women should stay at home with their children just like the mens’ wives. There was lots of discrimination against pregnant women leading many of them to hide their pregnancy as long as they could.

Their satisfaction with their jobs.

dissatisfied with work because of the hostility and disapproval of the men

The response of superiors at work.

male coworkers were disapproving wouldn’t let her sit in his chair constantly telling her she wouldn’t have time for the child if she continued to work

10. Considering the gendered nature of work, job position and pay on Wall Street which factors play the most important role in perpetuating this gender inequality? maybe an essay question and I have no idea how to answer it
The nature of the work is very aggressive and not all women have bought into ‘women as aggressive beasts’ a lot of us still see ourselves as the supportive, nurturing creatures we have been historically cast as and therefore do not put ourselves in positions that take us out of that role. Therefore women take the supportive roles even on Wall St, the equity research and other supportive positions which lead to lower pay. The men on Wall St have not moved into the 21 century either and tend to push women into those roles, pressuring them to leave the ‘real work’ to the men and stay home to have babies and entertain their clients. This attitude is continuing to perpetuate gender inequality in jobs and pay.

Is this asking that after reviewing what is causing discrimination what should be done??I think its asking what is perpetuating the discrimination

Can or should something be done about this?

Hays – Flat Broke with Children
Ch. 1 – Money and morality

1. How much was the average TANF payment? P. 7

$354
What was the income cutoff for eligibility?

$7,510/year
How has the number of TANF cases changed since 1996 (lecture)? - Decrease from 68% (1996) to 27%(2010)
2. Does TANF raise people out of poverty?

No
They have to work at any job for any wage, for any # of hours
Page 9 says its a positive change...
3. What values underlie the welfare changes that occurred in 1996?

provides image of American Culture reinforces a system of beliefs about how ALL should behave marriage family values work ethic women’s morality
Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act
DEBATE - individual self-sufficiency vs traditional family values (p. 12) foundational American ideals of independence and commitment to others and underlines just how precarious those ideals have become in age of fragile families, social mistrust, rising economic inequalities and unstable global marketplace middle class values
In what ways do some of these values contradict one another?

Mothers taking responsibility of their own children vs
Mothers expected to pay someone else to raised their children good women stay home with the kids and cook and clean, but …(p. 14) family values are not reinforced because the woman is expected to leave her kids to work, turn in the father, welfare started out to take care of widows and orphans but... there are no exceptions to the work order even for “virtuous” or even vulnerable women or special cases work ethic is undermined when the wages are so low that full/time workers are still homeless and when welfare recipients are forced to accept jobs that don’t improve their situation
Womens morality is undermined when they are forced to prostitute themselves in the form of marriage to abusive men with the expectation of getting off welfare middle class values vs poverty class values = apples vs oranges
????????????????????
What were the 4 goals of the welfare reform act? P. 17

Provide assistance to needy families so that children may be cared for in their own homes or in the homes of relatives end the dependence of needy parents on government benefits by promoting job preparation, work, and marriage prevent and reduce the incidence of out-of-wedlock pregnancies and establish annual numerical goals for preventing and reducing the incidence of these pregnancies encourage the formation and maintenance of two-parent families

What is the basic assumption about the cause of poverty? P. 30

(p. 29) lives shaped by experiences, economic, cultural and political structures of society personal choices and individual pathologies poverty is a private concern to be negotiated by those in poverty women with no morals get pregnant women don’t marry women don’t work after getting pregnant women raise kids with no work ethic
It is the direct result of failures to live up to the family (P. 17) Whose responsibility is it to solve the problem of poverty? P. 30

it is women’s responsibility for the maintenance of family values

4. Marxian analysis: In what way do welfare recipients or former welfare recipients represent Marx’s army of the unemployed? I have no idea! This is just a guess but I think it could be this: Marx’s idea of an army of the unemployed is that there is always a reserved group of unemployed people who are waiting to fill jobs. Often times since these individuals are desperate for jobs they will fill the positions that are low pay or undesirable. Welfare recipients could relate to this in that they have the ability to be employed or are trying to be employed but have a harder time because of their childcare responsibilities. They are also more willing to take low paying or undesirable jobs because they need to find any job they can in order to qualify for welfare. In a sense welfare recipients have become the reserve army of unemployed individuals.

What effect does the work requirement have on wages in general?

it keeps them low
Do you agree with Hays statement that the work requirement represents a form of “wage slavery?” p. 49

yes because to force people to accept jobs that do not pay what they are worth keeps the wages low for everyone
Yes because it forces people to work for less than a living wage
Yes because it allows employers to pay less than a living wage workers have to put up with anything because they know they can be replaced in a minute so they are slaves

What class benefits from this type of work requirement? (p. 22 and lecture)

upper class and upper middle class the poor do the work nobody else wants to do low-wage employers benefit like tyrants can demand anything and pay anything because they know they can replace the workers in a minute workers have to put up with anything because they know they can be replaced in a minute so they are slaves gain greater control over existing workers workers now fear if don’t accept working conditions will be replaced by other welfare recipients

5. What is the “family cap?” p. 27

Arbordales home state has the “family cap” that disallows benefits to children born when their mothers are already receiving aid; Sunbelt City’s does not
How do different states determine when the work exemption is up?

“work first” policies
Mothers with infants exempt from work requirements:
Sunbelt: 12 months
Arbordale: when children are younger than 18 months old.
Is the current welfare program consistent across states?

NO the Personal Responsibility Act offered wide discretion to states
Differences are noted above for two states

Sunbelt’s state has a provision to identify and protect welfare mothers who are the victims of domestic violence; Arbordale’s does not
Arbordale allows moms to stay home while infants are under 18 mos old; Sunbelt allows a 12 mo lifetime exception
Sunbelt maximizes its “exemption allowance for hardship; Arbordale exempts almost no one
Should it be?

NO because Some states have lower cost of living lower rates of unemployment higher min. wage
Arbordale
most jobs in high-tech, professional-level fields unlikely to be filled by former welfare recipients anti union right to work state
“high-performance” bonus for getting people off welfare
Sunbelt City higher paying jobs in unskilled service sector ($7 to $9) strong unions Ch. 2 – Enforcing a work ethic

6. Be familiar with the contents of the “agreement of responsibility” welfare clients must sign. P. 32

I understand that TANF is a temporary assistance program and that I am responsible for: working to support my family and to become self-sufficient;
Looking for and accepting employment
Participating in assignments from my case manager
Notifying my case manager immediately of any changes in my circumstances
Keeping appointments with my case manager in a timely manner
Arranging child day care and transportation that allows me to participate in the Employment Program
I understand that it is my responsibility to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the Program. By taking advantage of these opportunities, I will help my family in becoming self-sufficient.
If you choose not to sign this Agreement, your TANF benefits will end.
It sounds like a good deal at first; Like they are going to give you all these great “opportunities”

7. What is the general assumption about welfare recipients’ motivation to work? top of p. 35

They don’t have any

What are the actual reasons most of these women cycle through work? P. 36.

Childcare problems
Physical and mental health transportation sick children or family members health problems husbands/boyfriends leave mental health unexpected financial difficulties
Obligation to extended family members low wages overly demanding bosses layoffs changing work schedules indignities of bottom-end employment commitment to properly responding to needs of their children
Can women with health problems “take it easy” as their physician might recommend? P. 37

No
Carolyn got sick with her heart and wasn’t allowed to take it easy on welfare for a few months, had to go straight out and get a job

Have most of these women been employed? P. 36

Yes but due to all the reasons above they end up in the welfare office mostly in low wage dead end jobs

8. Does the work requirement lead to “self-sufficiency?” p. 34

Most often it does not because it only requires a job, not a job that pays enough to live on, Plus, those jobs do not often provide benefits, hard work, low wage, poor hours, little flexibility.
Even the job training/life skills provided is for low wage jobs cost of living is higher than any wage for the types of jobs available with no high school diploma (50%), or college (80%)
9. How strictly enforced are the work rules?

It depends on the welfare worker No one is exempt, (except that lady with the expensive house)

Do you think the job contacts requirement is realistic?

Not considering the cost of childcare and transportation
40 contacts in 30 days monitored by a worker who calls to confirm that you made the contact and did not refuse an offer of employment

Particularly in this economy?

filling out apps is time consuming without a car using the bus takes all day using a car is expensive with gas paying childcare while doing all this comes out of SOMEBODY’S pocket

10. What types of training typically are offered these women?

clerical low-wage training office skills nursing homes intro computer use food service cooks helpers childcare GED hotel maids

11. Should women be required to do “community work experience?” p. 40

If not get job or training or if deemed not job ready by worker lasts 3-6 mos not allowed to quit if offered paying job
NO, if these jobs are Available through the state, county or city or other non-profit they should pay someone to do them; GIVE SOMEONE A JOB!
Also, should these women work for “free”, i.e. receive welfare stipend and employer receive support from state funds, in order to gain work experience?

it is often good work experience
It is good to put on a resume it takes up all the entry level positions and further imbalances the economy it costs a lot more than just giving the welfare and there is transportation cost and childcare cost to the recipient SO AGAIN NNOO! it just disrupts the babies’ lives for WHAT?
12. What types of situations are NOT considered quitting “for cause?” p. 41

injury sickness not liking your work childcare family problems sick child (even terminal) own illness arguments with supervisors apartment building burn down

13. How does the system of sanctions work? P. 41 [I think this can be an essay question]

form of punishment for inappropriate behaviors all or part of your welfare benefits are cut graduated system increasingly punished for repeated violations
Arbordale
first sanction=one mo of benefits second = 3 mos lost benefits third = 6mos lost benefits
Sunbelt
lose increasing % of check for ever longer period of time third sanction = permanently ineligible harshest status clock still ticking even tho no $, using up lifetime allotment of welfare complex rules lead to sanctions
14. According to Hays, what is the primary purpose of the welfare bureaucracy? P. 44

social control????? achieve national values???????
· They operate like human assembly line: they apply uniform rules, follow regularized procedures and ignore the particular circumstances of each case as far as possible, and serve as powerful form of social control.
To avoid fraud/ Welfare cheats.

What is your response to the number and types of questions applicants must answer? P. 44-46.

financial and familial
The questions are designed to catch lies and can be tricky even when the client is NOT lying about anything

Could you provide all the verification required (listed on page 46)?

VERIFICATIONS: “In order to receive benefits, the client must produce, for instance, children’s social security cards, birth certificates, and immunization records; rent receipts or a lease from the landlord; a verification of the number of people living in the household; statements from banks and insurance companies; childcare contracts; utility receipts; and school enrollment record”. If a welfare client should fail to meet everything on list they will be deemed ineligible for benefits.

Do you understand the information from the eligibility interview presented on p. 48?

It sounded somewhat contradictory at the end of a 3 hour intake with all kinds of confusing info being thrown at you it is difficult to understand or remember anything about the interview afterwards

15. Do most welfare recipients become employed? P. 50

60% leaving 40% not finding work and being kicked off welfare
Do jobs typically provide medical benefits? P. 55.

not for part time not low wage jobs
How long do the transitional supports such as childcare vouchers last?

one year

How long do most women stay employed? P. 57

4 kept work for a year
12 for 3 mos
½ for 6 mos less than 10% kept the same job for an entire year
Why is the period so short? P. 57

work and family issues poor work environment
16. Do you agree with Hay’s conclusion that work plan is more a form of punishment than a strategy for independence? yes, punishment for having kids, for being female, for being poor, black, hispanic,...

Ch. 3 – Promoting family values

1. What are the family goals of welfare reform? P. 64

reduce out-of-wedlock pregnancies promote marriage as a route off welfare allow children to be cared for at home

2. What type of parental (maternal) responsibilities are required by TANF? (p 65)

provide financial support for children seek out and manage childcare arrangements make certain that the children receive all the proper vaccinations see to it that their children attend school every day identify, locate and demand economic assist from the fathers control fertility failure to comply with any of these can result in children being homeless and destitute
How do they differ from the formal requirements for non-TANF parents? P. 66

?????????????????????? strong cultural and constitutional prohibitions against state interference in private lives, particularly familial beh. legal guarantee of privacy has been central to protecting basic family rights to marry or not to make choices about reproduction and childrearing to determine living and custodial arrangements
Non-TANF families don’t have someone breathing down their throats making sure they are actually doing all of those things

3. What effect do the programs of abstinence only sex education and prosecution of statutory rape cases have on teen pregnancy or births to single women?

$50 million per yr for programs of “abstinence education” sex is only appropriate in the context of heterosexual, monogamous, marital relationships link between statutory rape and teen pregnancy decrease illegitimate children without raising the abortion rate not increasing birth control or family planning
The programs haven’t had much of an effect as we see the rates of single parenting going up everyday
I think it was said that teen pregnancy has gone down???????
4. If the woman decides on an abortion, who provides the funds?

Money was said it was for “work related expenses” but it actually Caseworkers provide this money from discretionary money funds. some of the women said they couldn’t afford an abortion, the case above was not a normal case
5. What is the family cap?

Mothers will not get additional benefits for any children born while receiving TANF p 68) bars from welfare receipt all children born to mothers who are already on welfare state option women who consider becoming pregnant while on welfare will know that new baby will be ineligible for benefits and so will think twice before having more children
Joanne
second child not exist to welfare so not only receive NO benefits, but also not given the 18 month leave from job search systematically penalizes women for exercising reproductive choice (p 69)

6.
Do you feel mothers should be sanctioned for their belief that toddlers are better off with their mothers or that daycare is unsafe? P. 69

It should depend on the circumstances. I did know a family who had a child every year that would have seen the mom go to work. She even told me that it was time to have another child as soon as the youngest was ready to start kindergarten so she wouldn’t have to go to work and at that time she wanted a bigger welfare check as well. She and her husband had six kids and would have kept going, but the law changed and she was told she wouldn’t get more money for anymore children. Neither of them worked and they ran a drug store out of their home. Yes they should have been sanctioned
In Joanne’s case she was legitimately trying to get off welfare.

No, but I do see loopholes. They should be allowed to stay home until the babes are 2 or 3, but if they have more children, they should be sanctioned, not just allowed to stay home for another 2 or 3 years.
How is the utilization of the day care subsidy limited? P.
72

transitional - allowed help with childcare for up to a year after got off welfare
A bit off-topic but interesting - the cost of subsidizing child care for the poor far outstrips the state and federal costs of paying a welfare mother to raise her own children - it costs less for the whole family to stay home than it does to send the babies to daycare!!!!! Crazy! majority of clients never actually receive the subsidies
25% in Sunbest
40% in Arbordale not enough facilities state runs out of $ to subsidize

What is the application process like? P. 73

bureaucratic nightmare LOL extensive piles of forms all the same documentation as welfare certs of eligibility and compliance for welfare office letter from employer proof of full physical exam medical records for each child many trips number of weeks some never able to provide all the docs report any and all changes at work
Does the application system have to be complicated? See Sunbelt system compared to Arbordale system. P. 74

No arbordale is much less complicated and doesn’t require a lot of transportation to multiple application sites
What are some of the drawbacks to the Arbordale child care certification system? P. 75

Sunbelt:
It used to be that family members could provide day care and the childcare subsidy could go to them, but if the children have to go to certified places that doesn’t work certification system limits # of facilities at convenient locations so there is always a long waiting list facilities are located at odd or distant locations that can add an hour or more to the bill application process is separate from and similar to applying for TANF requiring docs of all kinds
Arbordale:
program is run out of the welfare office where all the docs are already stored application is simple state has low-level requirements just about anyone can be a childcare provider resulting in substandard care neglect and abuse relatives husbands boyfriends can be felons, pedos, domestic violence providers are only excluded from certifications for violent crimes can still have history of drugs, theft or fraud case workers barred from warning parents which daycares were not good so even tho Arbordale is easier to get child care subsidy, Sunbelt recipients may get better daycare
7. Does subsidized day care make much sense financially?

No, it costs more than paying the mom to stay home with their own children

“Although taxpayers and the federal government lose money on child support enforcement, states can actually make money, since the federal government subsidizes state programs and allows states to keep a portion of support payments where welfare is concerned” (PG 79) this is related to child support not to child care
Welfare clients are incapable of making such choices on their own.
Why isn’t a system instated that allows mothers to stay at home until their youngest child enters school?

it used to be that way, but it was perceived as just another way for the poor to take advantage of the system when the moms kept having more babies
8. Do you think it is appropriate for the government to legislate parental behavior while making it the parent’s personal responsibility to solve child related problems? P. 76

Thats a tough question. When my kids ask me for money, I expect certain behaviors from them such as spending it wisely, doing their chores, treating me with respect, etc. I feel that the government has that right as well.
9. How does the child support system work?

“She must list five possible fathers, and agree to genetic testing until paternity is established” (PG 78)

Payments: · “The most they can expect to receive is a 50d per month “pass-through” of child support; the rest will go to the state to cover the costs of welfare” (PG 79)
“A number of them [fathers] are very unhappy when they learn that the money they owe will actually go to the state rather than their own children” (PG 80)
If the mother cannot identify the father than she does not receive funds.
“Although taxpayers and the federal government lose money on child support enforcement, states can actually make money, since the federal government subsidizes state programs and allows states to keep a portion of support payments where welfare is concerned” (PG 79)
What happens if the mother is not able to identify the father?

she is sanctioned or ineligible
Where do the child support payments go?

$50 of child support goes to the mother if she is on welfare; the rest goes to the state
Are there any benefits to fathers AND mothers if they do not participate in the formal system of support enforcement? P. 80 and 81

yes if the father pays directly to the mother she gets ALL of the support even if it is only diapers which she doesn’t have to report at all if she doesn't report it she is far better off than if she turns him and only gets $50 of it side money for the mom and continued family ties; no jail time for the dad and can pay when able
Does this program help meet any of the 3 goals of welfare reform listed on p. 64?

“Although taxpayers and the federal government lose money on child support enforcement, states can actually make money, since the federal government subsidizes state programs and allows states to keep a portion of support payments where welfare is concerned” (PG 79)

No

10. Is the child enforcement program a “good financial investment?” p. 77

it costs more than it gets in returns in 1996 showed a net loss of $745 million and creates bad mojo between the parents

How much does successful child support enforcement add to the mothers monthly payment? P. 79

$50

11. While the child support enforcement program is officially designed to hold fathers accountable, who actually is accountable for the program operating successfully? P. 79

Mothers who are sanctioned if the fathers aren’t identified mothers who have to sit through hours of interrogation and stress

12. Do you agree with Hay’s conclusion about the underlying message of the current welfare system? Top of p. 86 (See also Pearce’s argument that women on the new “paupers.”)

The underlying message being that welfare moms are better off seeking out support from men and marriage will become the rational choice for the poor.

13. Are caseworkers allowed much discretion in the application of “welfare” rules?

No. The rules to be very specific, and if they are not followed, the main punishment is being sanctioned

In the past, caseworkers abused their discretionary power because they discriminated against people, for example: unwed mothers were once denied assistance based on their “immoral behavior”
But we feel that caseworkers’ attitudes have improved because they go into this work nowadays to fulfill their desire to be altruistic
Connection between caseworker discretion, and the atmosphere of caring maternalism is evident in caseworkers’ response to welfare reform. GETTING BETTER TODAY
Staff meetings became strategy sessions on how to solve the problems of welfare mothers, opportunity to actually help their clients.

In the past how did some caseworkers abuse their discretionary power? P. 87

giving money for abortions denied assistance based on immoral beh. blacks were denied when the were needed to pick, shortages in domestic servants meant particular immigrant groups left without aid and non whites and non native born women historically more likely be identified as rule-breakers and punished for bad beh
Do you think caseworkers’ values and attitudes have changed?

Would discretion be used in a more unbiased way today?

I don’t think so. I think the workers would be just as biased, they are only human.
14. Would you like to be a caseworker who faced the dilemmas listed on p. 88?

I would not. I think it would be difficult to make those type of life altering decisions for myself, let alone other people.
What is your response to the caseworker who used discretionary work support funds to pay for a client’s abortion? P. 89

This seems like it’s overstepping some boundaries to me. If if was okay for the money to be spent like this it wouldn’t have to be officially marked as “work related expenses” ... I hope she was sent to planned parenthood for free birth control after the abortion...
15. Can a bureaucracy (such as welfare) create independent people?

they create robots, dependent on being told what when, where how but not why

16. What does Hays mean when she says that the maternalism practiced by caseworkers is both supportive and demeaning?

17. Has the care of children become a public obligation as it is in many European countries?

The U.S. has many excellent day care facilities but why does Hays argue that childcare (and caring) has been privatized? P. 92

Ch. 6 – Invisibility and Exclusion
1. Be familiar with the processes and conditions that result in women receiving TANF-

Pattern

Tragedy death health abandonment domestic violence birth control push and pull (p. 146) push toward work pull toward home
SES
Two central paths to welfare changes in family situation changes in work

Not an entitlement-even if qualify-if the dollars (funding) are not there, then the family does not receive cash assistance
Funded by Block grants which are set for a two-year period, even if DD goes up, funding doesn’t.
Future block grant funding is determined by how much the STATE wants to put into the program
TANF doesn’t automatically provide access to other in-kind programs
RESTRICTED time limits for receipt of funds-upper limit is 5 years over adult’s entire life cycle. These time limits are determined by state, many are shorter
Low level of payment
Stiff work requirements-any job, even if wages provide a poverty level income.
**the way it is currently structures, it does not respond well to changes in the economy
2. Domino effect – Do you accept Sheila’s statement that because she was young (naïve) she didn’t realize her boyfriend was married?

It made sense that she didn’t know her boyfriend was married
Also, she was in desperate straights and it would have been easy to overlook any suspicions she had about him in order to keep a home for her and her mom
Did Sheila accept responsibility for the “mistakes” that she made?

I was impressed that after she found out he was married she dumped him and didn’t just continue with him for the purpose of keeping a roof over her head

3. What is the primary reason many TANF recipients find themselves with an unexpected pregnancy?

They think they are going to marry the father
They weren’t paying attention
Do they use contraceptives? P. 145

They may only use contraceptives the first time they may not use them properly
They use them inconsistently

4. Do we as a society actually expect MORE from the poor than we do from those with decent incomes?

Yes. people with decent incomes are applauded for staying home to care for children or sick/elderly parents.
The poor are criticized for staying home so they can care for elderly family/children and are criticized for working instead of caring for children and elderly/sick family.

5. Do you consider Elena a “welfare” cheat?

Yes
Should she be expected to sell her home to survive? P. 148-150

Yes!
Her house was extravagant and sounded like most of the stories of welfare fraud I see on the news
Many people lose their homes due to medical bills and emergencies
I don’t think that is right, but she had family with enough money to pay the mortgage for her. As far as I know this is considered income by the welfare dept and she was treated differently than the average welfare recipient. That is not fair. I would hate for her to lose her home but others have and I think she should have had to at least taken a second mortgage
In Calif they have temporary Disability for people who are injured and expected to return to work within a certain amount of time. Its like unemployment benefits, but for those who can’t go look for jobs because of injury like Elena
p. 149 She wasn't even required to do the job search
If she had been treated the same as Sheila she would have been forced to sell her house and live with family or be homeless
And if she had suffered enough so had all those other welfare moms
Do most people (non-welfare recipients) understand that many welfare recipients have had extensive work experience?

I don’t think that most people understand that

Or that they come from middle class families (p. 152)

no

6. Should we have a program where mothers such as Diana are allowed to stay home with their frail infants? P. 154-155 Do you think Diana defrauded the welfare system with the money she earned “on the side?” p. 155 yes we should. Her circumstances are partly why the welfare safety net was started. Even though she wasn’t a widow, she was taken in by a man’s wiles, and left holding the bag so to speak. She wasn’t on welfare before the baby and he was a fatherless child, falling under the protection of the safety net. He was also a special case in that he was frail and needed extra care. Yes, she did defraud the welfare system by taking advantage of the subsidized housing program and taking in unauthorized guests and charging them to stay there without claiming the income.

7. What percent of welfare mothers suffer from mental disabilities?

4% - 39% US Gov reports
12% - 56% according to local level studies twice as likely to meet DSM criteria for disorders
NIMH finds low income individuals are 2-5 times more likely suffer diagnosable mental health disorder than those in highest income categories (p. 157)
How do you think Sonya’s case should be dealt with p. 157

She needs to have treatment be part of her requirements for staying on welfare but she needs financial aid.
She will be homeless and crazy in no time without welfare
Can states exempt all mothers with mental illness from working? p. 158

No there are too many
10 - 20% sufficiently serious enough to prevent maintaining stable employment shut-ins profoundly obese incest and domestic violence lithium, ritalin powerful antidepressants unable to work full day
Pressures to limit and shrink welfare rolls
Cause or Consequence of poverty?

8. How does income inequality affect the care of those with mental illness? (lecture)

9. Do you think that Christine who suffered a severe stroke should or can meet the work requirements of TANF?

No, she will die and leave her daughter with no mom
Is there a way we can design a system so that Christine can continue to contribute through her unpaid caring work? P. 163 She should be exempt and allowed to continue as a neighborhood MOM. Her case is severe and she cannot meet the work requirements of TANF, yet she is serving a need in her community that is valuable. All communities should have a safe house where the children can go when home is not safe.

10. What are the current requirements for receiving Social Security Disability? P. 167

Physical or Mental Disabilities 44%of welfare moms severe enough that the individual was unable or needed help to perform one or more simple, everyday activity (p. 165)
10% - 31% welfare clients suffer physical disability limiting ability to work or make them incapable of working inability to engage in substantial gainful activity that is expected to last for at least a year or result in death, only for people who cannot engage in any kind of work that might exist in the national economy makes its own determinations on who meets these criteria lengthy application process so complex many law firms specialize only in disability claims on welfare can’t afford to hire lawyers
Can those applying for disability receive TANF payments?

Top of p. 168 says they would be on TANF until the first disability check arrived
Be exempted from the work requirement?

How has Oregon dealt with this issue? ??????????????????

Was Christine approved for Disability payments? P. 168

NO
Her father was hiring a lawyer to defend her claim

We will talk about the “dependency “ issue when covering chapter 7.

Final Exam Review #3 From lecture on “debtor’s prison.”
What types of debts do inmates often accumulate while they are incarcerated?

child support restitution for victims punishment for crime recovered costs for taxpayers public defender fees pretrial detention residential fees parole supervision fees court expenses fines and assessments levied with a punitive purpose Is there any limit to the percent of gross income that the state can claim for repayment for services and for child support?

No, “There is no proscription against piling on debt during a prison stay” (PG 187)
“Multiple debts are levied at various stages of the criminal justice process” (PG 189)
Is there any tie between level of payment and ability to pay?

compliance more likely when orders are 15% or less of income less likely when more than 20% of income most states impute income based on minimum or median state wages all states have a process for adjusting child support orders, but ...

What are 2 recommendations the authors make to make the debt load more manageable for released prisoners?

set child support realistic based on actual income and realistic ability to pay reduce or suspend support obligations during prison term and eliminate incarceration as “voluntary unemployment” eliminate welfare cost-recovery policies and distribute all child support directly to families facilitate participation by incarcerated noncustodial parents and custodial parents in child support proceedings forgive state owed debt: reduce or waive child support arrears assigned to the state to repay welfare benefits payment of realistic child support obligations to families should be given priority over cost recovery efforts by the crim just. system provide post-release services to increase employment reinforce family ties by maintaining family contact while incarcerated

Do you agree with the current system? Explain.

The current makes it impossible for the incarcerated person to ever catch up. The can’t pay while incarcerated and can’t get jobs when they get out due to having a prison record. it doesn’t make sense to charge them for everything related to being in prison when so many of them will never get out at all. It costs a lot to house death row inmates and then there are the lifers. Why do some have to pay and others don’t? The whole debtors prison theme sounds unconstitutional to me
What are your recommendations?

Don’t charge them for being there. Continue to charge them child support and let them focus on that when they get out.

Hays Ch. 7 Cultures of Poverty

1. Be able to explain the creation of a “culture of poverty.”Poor remain poor because they are part of a unique culture with twisted, pathological values and practices. Material circumstances and practical hardship of poverty- low income few job prospects, substandard living conditions that initially produces the cultural response of deviant values among the poor. Adaptive distorted values are continually reinforced, supportive cultural atmosphere thus created. What structural conditions generate this “culture?” Segregated isolated poverty epitomized by the inner city no longer driven by material hardship, cultural traits of the poor cited as a weak family structure, illegitimacy, apathy, and inability to defer gratification- reproduce poverty. How is this concept generally interpreted?
Coded black. Scholars argue endless cycle of lazy manipulative and corrupted poor.
2. What evidence is there that Nadia was a “reckless” breeder? 4 children and she is only 23 years old. Nadia does not consistently use contraceptives. Negative notions of side effects. Lack information.
P. 190 How would you address this issue?
Education initiatives and birth control in schools
Why is consistent contraceptive use so difficult?
How do her general circumstances contribute to her irregular use of contraceptives?
Culture of poverty with a very specific etiology.
What mainstream values does Nadia hold? Wants to get her GED to get a job.
How old is Nadia?23
How many children does she have? 4.
What future do you predict for her? Hays: lives in segregated poverty, lack of job prospects, absence of marriageable partners, the availability of welfare, cultural valuation of childrearing, valorization of traditional stay at home moms= come together to limit her future.
3. Do welfare mothers marry (see Joy’s experience)
Why do you think Joy did not have an abortion when she became pregnant with her second child?She decided to “deal with it” she had already had 4 abortions.
What type of family does she live in? recombinant family: multiple marital breakups, serial stepparents, array of siblings from different marriages. Father left. grew up with stepfather, 2 siblings, 2 step siblings, and a baby from her mother and stepfather.
What is her attitude toward men? Sworn off men.
Why does Hayes conclude that Joy displays the “candy-store syndrome?” “just consuming everything because it looks tasty on the surface never considering the consequences or pondering problems of frivolous spending. clueless of consequences.

4. Is Sandra accurate when she concludes the system screwed her? How much work experience did Sandra have?14 years as a factory worker, 3 years as a small machine repair person, been on welfare 4 times prior.
How many children by how many men?4 kids, 4 fathers.
Do you consider her a “welfare cheat?” why or why not? No. She is making do as best she can. She doesn’t pay rent for working as a manager of the fourplex housing she lives in. intermittent financial help from fathers.
What is her experience with birth control? Doesn’t believe in abortion.
How do you reconcile her statement that she never liked any of the men who were the father of her children? P. 204
Do the men in the lives of these women seem to be “more trouble? absolutely. One is paralyzed and his father wants to control the benefits and has own agenda about controlling Sandra and the money. One father is in prison. One is in Louisiana and only ever asks “so what do you want?” but doesn’t help financially with monetary support. One father is around but only now and then helps out his daughter but not Sandra.
5. Does the current welfare system impose a “marriage penalty” on poor women? P. 206 Yes. Over one quarter of welfare mothers live with men full or part time to pool financial resources but can’t report it. Supreme Court ruled in 1968 but street sense= man in the house= ineligible for benefits. Man in the house rules still govern street knowledge as marriage penalty. If women were to report men in their homes their income would be recalculated based on different set of rules and in many cases would be deemed ineligible for welfare- based on income. And fragility of relationships.

6. What is your response to Sandra’s statements about bringing back the “old school?” p. 208 Wants to go back to old fashioned cultural values surrounding courtship, marriage, and sexuality. Is opposed to boyfriends and girlfriends living together and not marrying. Wishes pregnancy and marriage went together like in the old days. Wishes men would work and women could raise the children.

7. In what ways are the 3 syndromes described by Hays seen in the larger society? P. 210-211

Burger-barn- valuing childrearing over paid work and financial self sufficiency. Nadia= legitimates position on welfare rolls by arguing her work is caring for her children
Candy store syndrome= seeking pleasure through consumption is widespread in American culture. Commodity fetishism. Joy, behavior is allure of drugs, alcohol, sexual experience, comparable to credit card debt and support groups for out of control consumers.
System-screwed-me syndrome- overbearing over priced bureaucratic big government and big corporations don’t care about the little guy and therefore do not deserve our allegiance or deference or ethical behavior is also no unrecognizable in vision of the world widespread American mistrust of politicians and Americans manipulating tax forms . Sandra
Lorena- Bobbit Syndrome- fantasy of castrating abusive and disappointing men is an equally understandable pattern in from the point of view of many women in American society today. Last half century is characterized by feminization of poverty, glass ceiling, growth of welfare rolls, divorce and single parenting, and vitriolic back lash against women.

8. Would the women’s circumstances change if more low income men, particularly Black men, were able to find consistent paid work?

Here is an attempt at class and social problems Physical and mental health disabilities, domestic violence victims are systematically over-represented on welfare rolls. given cultural and economic options open to such women as Joy, Sandra, and Nadia their oppositional stance is not surprising. increasing job occupation and income for men around them would increase marriageable men around them and could offer some kind of support.
Good answer!!!!

Ch. 8 The “Success” of Welfare Reform

1. Do you think we can change the “cultural logic of individual responsibility?” p. 216 Logic denies embeddedness of all indviduals in wider society and their reliance on it. it is an unrealist image of unfettered individualism- as every man women and child as an island. this logic most obviously neglaects the “depedency” of children and the fact that no parent is “unfettered.” it also neglects the importna,e the reality, and the necessity of wider social ties and connections. it makes invisilbe, in other words, our interdependence. How do symbolic boundaries become exclusionary boundaries? (Lecture -Be familiar with Durkheim’s analysis.) Personal Responsibility Act is predicated on the construction of a moral distinction between a woman like Denise (page 218) and all those “other” bad welfare mothers who fail to live up to social standards. - Michéle Lamont’s “symbolic boundaries”- develop an implicit hierarchy of social worth. Symboli boundaries thus become exlusionary boundareis- simultaneously offering a means to affirm shared values and means to think of “outsider” in terms of indivdual blame. This exlusionary process means that ll those americans who are suffering from cildcare woes, second shifts, inadequate health insurance, pre arious jobs, unmanageable debt, and unstable communities are left to feel that their problems are personal problems for whcih no public solution can be found.

2. In what areas is welfare reform officially deemed a success? It’s meausred by decline of welfare rolls (not effectivity) trimming of rolls from 12.2 million recipients at the start of the reform to 5.3 million in 2001. = is read as sign that all former recipients are fine, married, wrking and some magically are not poor and are taking care of themselves. In what areas has welfare reform failed (your opinion) How do the poor become discouraged by welfare? P. 223 There are Four from 223-225
1- Welfare motehrs getting jobs but only half found work sufficient to get out of povery, one third of those who found jobs have left and returned to welfare, only one third able to remaind employed continousl over a year. 2- Discouragement from going on welfare for stigma and demanding “rigamorale” of rules and regulation that came with reform. too many standards and hoops to jump through for too little a success.
3- Personal Responsibiltiy act effectively transformed procedss of “Cycling” (welfare-work-weflare...). Time limits sanctions and work rules- decline in welfare rolls and increase of jobs but says nothing of health, living conditions, well-being of mother sna dchildren,
4- Denied benefits or sanctioned for failure to comply with welfare rules. 17% of clients had benefits stopped or reduced from sanctions or penalties. - Wisonsin reported 31% of caseload was sanctioned. substantial portion of desperately poor mothers and cildren are being punished, worn down, or frightened off welfare rolls.

3. What percent of welfare recipients become employed? 60%
What percent have incomes that put their families above the poverty level? Half
What percent become discouraged welfare recipients? What percent are sanctioned and denied benefits? 17% of clients had benefits satopped or reduced from sanctions or penalties. - Wisonsin reported 31% of caseload was sanctioned. P. 222-224 What percent of welfare mothers are “better off?” p. 225 10-15%

4. Where do former welfare moms go? What kinds of “other resources” do they have p. 227-228Other resources= overloeaded charities, boyfriends, family members, unreported and underreported side jobs ( cleaning, caring for other poeple’s childen, selling sex or dugs).

5. Do you agree with Hay’s conclusion about the societal impact of the current welfare system is not reformed? Bottom p. 229 Her conclusion: long term consequenes of welfare reform will also plae tremendous burden on other owrking-poor and working class families. Women seeking help and assiatance will go door to door. if nothing changes and welfare rreform isn’t itself reformed, by the close of the first decade of the twentyfirst century, we will see the beginnings of measurable ipmacts on prison poulations, mental health facilities, domestic ciolence shelters, children’s protective services, and the foster care system.

6. Lecture -Why does Gans (a conflict theorist) argue that the poor will always be with us?

Gans argued that the poor will always be with us because they serve a function
What functions does poverty serve in our society?

poverty
Who benefits from poverty (p. 230 Hays) restaurant, hotel, retail, and food service chains and all coroporations, manufacturers, and small business owners across American who employe low wage workers. Benefit not just from availability of millions of poor women desperate to find work and willing to accept the lowest wages and worst working conditions, they benefit not just from the additional availability of all those now more desperate poor men, they also benefit because all this desperation creates more profitable labor market condtions overall. Welfare reform helps to convince all low wage workers that they can be easily displaced by former welfare recipients and therefore makes them less likely to complain, change jobs, join unions, or demand higher wages.
Do these functions serve the needs of elites to such an extent that no real effort will be made to “solve” the problem of poverty? 7. Does the current welfare system protect children or “punish them for being born?” p. 234 As long as women’s independence was not included among our nations’s values, as long as our culture could maintain a story of satisfied breadwinners an hapy housewives, we could solve the tensions between independence and nurturing by simply assigning men and women to different categories. In a society where one of every three children is living with a single parent and more than a third of single mothers live in poverty, where majority of mothers are working outside the home and the majority of two parents households are dual earner households, where sububand residential neighborhoods look like ghost towns during business hours who Is left to do the caring for the “dependents”(kids)?

What is the self-sufficiency standard?
“The Self-Sufficiency Standard measures how much income is needed, for a family of a given composition in a given place, to adequately meet its basic needs—without public or private assistance.” http://www.doleta.gov/usworkforce/communityaudits/docs/Files%20for%20CA%20Website/WA-Yakima/WA-Yakima-Product-SelfSufficiency%20Tool.pdf Why was this standard developed?
- Federal poverty lines are too low and don’t reflect the actual cost for an adequate living conditions.
- Federal poverty lines do not reflect the difference in living cost in different areas of the countries.
- The way the poverty lines was calculated in 1960s no longer reflect the modern day ways of life.
How was this standard computed?
How does it differ from the computation of poverty thresholds currently used in the U.S.?
- The standard calculate the amount of after-tax income needed to meet basic needs without public assistance. Government poverty line is calculated before tax and includes cash assistance.
- It also takes into account the characteristics of the families to determine the income they need to be self-sufficient such as age of children, where they live, family sizes, family composition. Government poverty line does not take into account these differences.
- It is calculated basing on the costs of each basic needs (housing, health care, child care, food, transportation, taxes, . Government poverty line is calculated basing on the cost of food.
Final Exam Review #4 ILO – Global Employment Trends for Women
1. In what areas of the world, do women have the lowest employment to population rates? P. 9

Middle East
1998 20.5%
2008 24.7%
North Africa
1998 22.6%
2008 27.0%
Does this mean that 22.6% of women in the population were employed? YES. BUT THE DATA IS MISLEADING BECAUSE THE “POPULATION” = THOSE WHO ARE UNDER WORKING AGE + WORKING AGE + RETIRING AGE. IT DOES NOT MEAN THAT ONLY 22.6% OF THOSE IN THEIR WORKING AGE WAS EMPLOYED.
In 2008 the world-wide unemployment rate for women was 6.3% and for men 5.9%. Why is this figure misleading?
Even though women’s employment rates are lower than men’s, how many women worldwide are employed? P. 10

1.2 billion
40.4%

2. What type of work accounts for the greatest # and percent of women? P. 10

Small proportion of women in industry 18.3% vs 26.6% of men
Majority of women in agriculture 35.4% vs 32.2% for men, or 48.4% and 40.1% if exclude the developed industrialized countries increasing in services 46.3% vs 41.2 % of men
In Africa, what percent of food is produced by women? P. 15

Sub-Saharan Africa is region with highest share of female employment in ag, but decreased by 6.6% between 98 and 08 biggest cause of failure of ag is gender inequality and lack of empowerment of women who often run this sector
They produce 80% of the food can increase the production of some fields by 22%
Do women typically have access to resources to increase their productivity? P. 16

only own 1% of the land receive 7% ag extension services less than 10% of credit offered to small scale farmers
Limited access to financial and technical resources cannot access appropriate technology lack political influence not represented when policies are formulated, programs are developed, when budgets are drawn or when decisions are made
Girls receive less edu
Social norms discriminate against women and girls
Gender inequality in wages women earn 15% less than men per hour , Europe and Central Asia
Argentina 92% all other countries 80%
2006 ranged between 4% in Malta and 25% in Estonia
Turkey men earn twice as much as women in manufacturing
Russian Federation 39%
Ukraine 28%

3. Be familiar with the diagram on p. 13 showing the differences in the nature of work for women and men in Pakistan.

4. Consider women’s work in Bangladesh and in the U.S. In what ways is the work similar? In what ways is it different? P. 18

5. In the current economic crisis, who suffered more job loss – women or men?

Sharp – Doing Gender and Development
1. a) What does Sharp mean by “patriarchal bargain?” p. 281

is when women feel better off colluding with gendered structures that ensure continued subordination and which offer women greater advantages than they perceive can be achieved by challenging the prevailing order
The prefer the devil they know over the devil they don’t know
b) In what ways can pressure to generate cash increase a woman’s burden?

Time
They are already over booked with food production, household maintenance and childcare
c) What are 2 key barriers that limit women’s ability to improve their standard of living?

Not allowed at market

2. a) Do men and women reside together?

They live in the same household except when the men are in the desert grazing the livestock
Men function in the guest areas while women funtion more in the inner sanctum secluded from strangers b) Work together? (p. 287)

I think it says only the poorer households because there is not such a clear gender division of labour so men and women share same spaces around the household, and they didn’t have the transportation to migrate to winter grazing and charcoal-producing areas c) How does women’s lack of mobility affect their ability to feed their sheep?

Women don’t feed their sheep, men do. the sheep who stay home with the women are constrained to the food available directly within reach on the lake and often have to eat lake food that isn’t good for them and causes health problems. Then they have to be fed purchased grains until they are well, at which time they are put back on the lake food. The men can move the herd to other areas where the food is better, but when they are on the desert the women do not have that option. d) How do cultural restrictions on women limit their ability to sell animals?

Women are to avoid meeting men who are not from their immediate family and must be accompanied by a male relative on rare visits to town (p. 285)
Its very difficult for widows who have no living male relatives. They have to rely on “trustworthy males” to take the livestock to market for them
Some women go to market - they go early in the morning, conduct business and leave as soon as possible

3. Were many women interested in growing better quality feed?

Not too many mostly the less wealthy
They saw it as just more work for them that men should be doing
Double burden
Poor women more interest more time because the men are around more to take on more household work saw as way to improve livestock no transportation so can’t graze away from lake
Widows
not empowered because don’t see it as a choice not a benefit, but rather a necessity
Wealthy
men gone more so women take on more work and don’t have time to add more tasks already doing more don’t need the income What would the benefits be? P. 288

empowerment in the form of “power to” no challenge to the Bedouin male role producing higher quality milk improve children’s health improve animal health creating greater stability of flock size by reducing stock losses result in greater household security secure and reliable food supply for the women and children better quality animals for sale

4. How did women’s connections to income producing men affect their willingness to take on additional work related to improve their stock?

Women with income producing men were less enthusiastic didn’t need the money did more work and didn’t have time for even more they are able to choose to stay with the cultural identity of ‘good women' (staying at home and taking care of household reproductive tasks)

5. What Sharp mean when she states that women who adopted new agricultural practices were not empowered but were forced to do so?

The women who adopted new ag practices were the poorer and widows. they wre not perceived as empowered because the new way was not a choice, but rather a necessity. The change was forced on them by circumstances, such as widowhood, and was due to lack of choices. So it was more of a symbol of disempowerement which is defined as the denial of choice. other women felt empowered by the being at home in their proper place, because only the worst of circumstances would lead them to be taking on even more of a man’s role

6. When were women more involved in livestock sales?

When there was no male relative poor early in the morning Where were they likely to sell their animals?

outside the market Did they typically receive the same price as men?

no

7. Did the Bedouin women perceive livestock sells as empowering or dis-empowering? Explain. What did women see as their “proper” role?

livestock was hard work = mens work women selling livestock in the market = shameful → not a choice.
Market = men's space → women: selling outside of the official market, being quiet, coming earlier or later → not a pride. proper role = at home

8. Assess Sharp’s statement that “the empowerment they [women] receive from the ‘patriarchal bargain’, and the sense of identity and security that this provides, clearly offers more than any potential improvements more radical changes might offer at present.” P. 293 (possible essay)
Article and lecture material from international section:
1. When did a focus on women in the process of economic development first emerge?
-1995 4th World Women’s Conference in Beijing
2. How did drops in the prices of oil and commodities contribute to economic restructuring developing economies? How does economic restructuring shift production priorities?
- Economic restructuring has shifted production priorities from producing good for subsistence to goods for exports.
4. How does an increase in the amount of income under a woman’s control affect her and her family? (Refer to From Sunup) How does a woman’s lower income (compared to men) affect her incentive to take on additional work? P. 6
Is the amount of profit the most important factor in a woman’s allocation of work effort? (See also Sharp’s discussion of “patriarchal bargain”)
5. What types of positive benefits does educating a girl (compared to a boy) have in nations with developing economies?Later age of marriage

Increased contraceptive use
Lower fertility
Improved child & family nutrition
Higher female participation in labor force-greater human capital
Increased national earnings
Increased earnings
6. Why do you think the focus shifted from “women needing help” to “the world needs women?” Does this shift in focus have any important effects?

“Women saving the world”
When women are in charge they “produce services for their families, friends, and neighbours on the basis of social obligation, reciprocity, and altruism” (pg. 23)
Women are more likely to donate to charities--according to Chang
Women are more likely to fight for social programs
7. What is economic restructuring?
ER may refer to reorganization of a system of production at firm level, national level or international level.
What agencies require economic restructuring nations with developing economics?
World Bank and IMF – loan givers What are some of the effects economic restructuring has on women? (material can be found in course document on BB) What is a neoliberal perspective?

NEOLIBERAL PERSPECTIVE:

“Neoliberalism theory considers economic growth as the goal that must drive every action, whether it be improving infrastructure or reducing crime.”
ECONOMY IS EVERYTHING
What role does the economy play in this model?
- The free trade and the dismantling of institutionalized barriers → outside business --> the cheap labor ⇒ Women workers in developed countries → their jobs: outsourced. ⇒ developing countries → the informal economic sector → low salary and inadequate working conditions
- Cutting back on public sector budgets (welfare) → consequence in health care for women such as maternal mortality.
- Heavily dependent on monocrops → women’s ability → responsible for producing subsistence food. → reduced income and the nutrition.

rom Sunup - Video Discussion Questions
3. Are these women good entrepreneurs?
These women are very good entrepreneurs, they use what they have available to make money. They make pots when harvesting is over, they make beer, they use the land to produce their goods and they are very creative at doing so.
4. How do cultural values and practices affect their ability to provide for their families and control their fertility? e.g. divorce laws, ownership patterns provide for their family. One woman lives in her father’s house, he wants his house back so she and her children cannot live there anymore, she has a husband but he also has another wife and family. These women cannot divorce their husbands if the husband does not want a divorce, after they marry their husbands, the husbands don’t contribute anything. The land is their source of food and income. They cannot produce enough crops to ng to help the family, it is like having to support another child.
5. How has the cooperative group approach affected the women's abilities to generate income?
6. What are some of the drawbacks to selling beer as a way to generate income?
(We will discuss how this pattern - beer making - illustrates the "patriarchal bargain."
Some of the drawbacks to selling beer as a way to generate income is that they have to rent the barrels each time they want to make it which cuts into the profit that they will make from selling the beer and they have to take turns making the beer because all the women in their community want to make the beer as well.
10. What recommendations would you make to improve the situation of these women? I would recommend that they purchase at least 2 of the barrels that they use to make the beer so that more women could make the beer at the same time and they would receive all of the profits from making it because they wouldn’t have to pay to rent the barrels.
Grameen Bank-Mohammad Yunus1. One of the Bank’s goals is to break the cycle of poverty? How does the bank know when a member has “moved out of poverty?”

the 10 Indicators
How does this definition differ from that used in the U.S.?
- The family lives in a house worth at least Tk. 25,000 (twenty five thousand) or a house with a tin roof, and each member of the family is able to sleep on bed instead of on the floor.
-Family members drink pure water of tube-wells, boiled water or water purified by using alum, arsenic-free, purifying tablets or pitcher filters.
-All children in the family over six years of age are all going to school or finished primary school. Minimum weekly loan installment of the borrower is Tk. 200 or more.
-Family uses sanitary latrine.
-Family members have adequate clothing for everyday use, warm clothing for winter, such as shawls, sweaters, blankets, etc, and mosquito-nets to protect themselves from mosquitoes.
-Family has sources of additional income, such as vegetable garden, fruit-bearing trees, etc, so that they are able to fall back on these sources of income when they need additional money.
- The borrower maintains an average annual balance of Tk. 5,000 in her savings accounts.
- Family experiences no difficulty in having three square meals a day throughout the year, i. e. no member of the family goes hungry any time of the year.
- Family can take care of the health. If any member of the family falls ill, family can afford to take all necessary steps to seek adequate health care.
How does this definition differ from that used in the U.S.? It is not based on merely income but based on how income is translated into improving living conditions and well-being of people.
[I copy this from the website]
2. Be familiar with at least 6 ways that the Grameen Bank differs from most lending institutions.
- The credit is based on trust not legally enforcement contracts
- They provide loans to those who are classified as ‘not creditworthy’ by conventional banks, poor women and poor families
- Majority of borrowers are women (97%) Conventional banks focus on men, Grameen gives high priority to women. 97 per cent of Grameen Bank's borrowers are women
- It provides service at the door-step of the poor based on the principle that the people should not go to the bank, bank should go to the people
- Interest on conventional bank loans are generally compounded quarterly, while all interests are simple interests in Grameen Bank
- Conventional banks are owned by the rich, generally men. Grameen Bank is owned by poor women
- Overarching objective of the conventional banks is to maximize profit. Grameen Bank's objective is to bring financial services to the poor, particularly women and the poorest — to help them fight poverty, stay profitable and financially sound.
[I copy this from the website]
3. What types of insurance does the G.B. require?
What types of benefits do they provide?
Loan Insurance Program.
- Those who sign up for this program in case of their death , all outstanding loans are paid off.
- An insurance fund is created by the interest generated in a savings account created by deposits of the borrowers made for loan insurance purpose, at the time of receiving loans.
- Coverage of the loan insurance program has also been extended to the husbands with additional deposits in the loan insurance deposit account. A borrower can get the outstanding amount of loan paid off by insurance if her husband dies. She can continue to borrow as if she has paid off the loan.
6. What does the bank mean when it states that Grameencredit gives high priority to building social capital as well as economic capital?
- Leadership through group formation, monitoring environment, giving scholarship for students, monitoring children’s education, bring technology
7. What are two criticism of micro credit?
Refer to one macrolevel program and microlevel problem.

Group structure was criticized but has resulted in creating high repayment rate because all the members act as peer pressure to get each to make their payments (I don't think this is a critique. It is about how efficient group structure is in encouraging high repayment rate)
Neolib say grameen doesn’t improve overall society, but it does improve micro society without destroying the culture. (I think it is criticized for it neoliberal approach → focus on improving women's income generating activities without challenging the patriarchal order that produces gender inequality.)Is THAT what neoliberal means??????
Saturation of markets happens because a lot of the families go into the same kind of business/production
Lack of development of new skills feminists complain that the women are only taught to till the ground or whatever and they need to be getting technical training and be brought into the 21 century type of complaints
No focus on changing overall system inequality (
No focus on development of the overall infrastructure (roads, and agribusiness)
Paternalistic Approach (16 decisions)
Collectivist Approach – communism
Loans by proxy – somebody complained that the women were being exploited by being forced to get the loans and then the husbands would take the money making the women responsible for repayment
Not used for reducing poverty and just served to increase debt
“The best way to help the poor is not to lend them money … but for government to raise money through taxation and spend it in ways that strengthen infrastructure, educate people and provide for the type of institutions that support a modern, prosperous society.”
Ex:
Cell phone lady bought a cell phone and had the only phone in the village so she could sell minutes to the other villagers, but the feminists made the above complaints that she should have been taught how to fix the phone and yada yada
Sechrer artie:
Does the World Bank include gender in its programs for reducing world poverty?
- In addition to poverty reduction, WB also sees gender playing an important role in economic growth and development efficiency.
According to the authors, what approach does the World Bank take to reducing poverty and integrating women in the development process?
- Expanding economic opportunities is central to poverty reduction
- Empowering approach is employed to address poverty and gender inequality. WB’s empowerment concept is understood as enabling poor people (including women) to engage effectively in the market.
- Integrationist approach to include gender issues in the existing development agenda.
According to the World Bank, what are the causes of gender discrimination? (pp. 20, 21)
- Vietam: backward beliefs, customs and practices that are the cause for gender inequality, refusing to blame the government, national and international economic structures.
- Cambodia: The causes include lack of good governance, access to services by the poor, insufficient respect to women's rights and not paying attention to disadvantaged groups.