Gender and the Politics of Welfare Reform: Mothers' Pensions in Chicago, 1911-1929 (Women in Culture & Society Series WCS)
By
Joanne L. Goodwin (Author)
Paperback
Available / dispatched within 1 - 4 weeks
Quantity
Description
Exploring the origins of welfare in the context of local politics, this book examines the first welfare policy created specifically for mother-only families. Chicago initiated the largest mothers' pension programme in the United States in 1911. Evolving alongside movements for industrial justice and women's suffrage, the mothers' pension movement hoped to provide "justice for mothers" and protection from life's insecurities. However, local politics and public finance derailed the policy, entangling it in a social hierarchy of entitlements and exclusions. Widows were more likely to receive penisons than deserted women and unwed mothers; and African-American mothers were routinely excluded because they were proven breadwinners yet did not compete with white men for jobs. This revealing study shows how assumptions about women's roles have historically shaped public policy, and seeks to shed light on the ongoing controversy of welfare reform.
More Details
- Contributor: Joanne L. Goodwin
- Imprint: University of Chicago Press
- ISBN13: 9780226303932
- Number of Pages: 298
- Packaged Dimensions: 15x23x2mm
- Packaged Weight: 454
- Format: Paperback
- Publisher: The University of Chicago Press
- Release Date: 1997-07-07
- Series: Women in Culture & Society Series WCS
- Binding: Paperback / softback
Delivery Options
Home Delivery
Store Delivery
Free Returns
We hope you are delighted with everything you buy from us. However, if you are not, we will refund or replace your order up to 30 days after purchase. Terms and exclusions apply; find out more from our Returns and Refunds Policy.