Why don’t welfare-reliant mothers go to work?

Kathryn Edin, Laura Lein

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter

Abstract

In 1990, Brianna Kerry had graduated from high school and was earning $4.55 anhour as a clerk in a large discount chain store. Because she could not get full-time hours (only twenty-six to thirty-four hours a week), she grossed about $600 a month. She had looked for better jobs, but the San Antonio economy was depressed, and she could find none. When Kerry learned she was pregnant, she called several day care centers for information and learned that the fee for full-time infant care equaled her paycheck. Because she did not see her economic situation improving any time soon and since she had planned to have children eventually, Kerry decided to have the baby. Shortly before her daughter’s birth in 1991, she quit her job and applied for AFDC, food stamps, and Medicaid.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationGender and Work in Today's World
Subtitle of host publicationA Reader
PublisherTaylor and Francis
Pages404-418
Number of pages15
ISBN (Electronic)9780429968815
ISBN (Print)9780813341927
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 1 2018

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • General Social Sciences

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