Women in Poverty in the United States
Despite living in poverty, it is a struggle and there are many causes for this, it has been said that those in poverty choose to live that way, often being called and/or labeled lazy or ignorant. Countless of those living in poverty are being treated like second-class citizens. Rather than staying in poverty and constantly living off others, they should get jobs, is a comment often heard. There are resources available to assist women, with education, daycare and housing to help women improve their future and the future of their children; poverty for women is at an all-time high in this country and getting a job is not always the only solution to this equation. Many people who live in poverty are often …show more content…
The responsibility of raising children, taken care of older adults, sick family members or unemployed family members often falls back on the women in the family. (Center for American Progress. Web.) With the additional family responsibilities, it is often difficult for women to hold a job once they have one, giving up before they even have a chance to move forward. As stated in The Working Poor, “real problems do exist.”, “I’ve got one woman with seven children, and she’s on the phone constantly with her children, one crisis after another.” (128). The responsibilities of the family often falls on women limiting them on, work hours, job promotions, full time employment, training and …show more content…
With the 1996 Welfare Reform Act, many of the benefits provided for welfare recipients have been cut and, great majorities of the welfare recipients were put on “notice” to get a job. One of the many issues is that those that are or were on welfare do not have the “soft skill”, (Shipler, 126), and do not possess the “hard skills”, (Shipler, 126), required to get a job that pays more that low-wage or minimum wage pay scales at the very best, therefore making the decision to seek employment not very desirable. In addition to not having the skills needed to acquire a good paying job, many of those who do work for low-wages have funds dollar to dollar taken away from state benefits once they start working, often this can make it even harder for those in poverty. As stated by Tonya Mitchell in Reclaiming Class, “I make $6.35 per hour at my job, and I have to pay a good portion of my monthly check for health care for my children and myself. I do have help with the state for childcare, but I have lost medical benefits, and food stamps, so life is much harder for me now that it was before. It contains very little hope.” (117). Once you are employed you are employed your benefits are “chipped away” (Shipler 41), often leaving the family with less than what is needed to live on for the month. Repeatedly, many of the women receiving federal and state assistance would work “informal jobs, “making
Despite living in poverty, it is a struggle and there are many causes for this, it has been said that those in poverty choose to live that way, often being called and/or labeled lazy or ignorant. Countless of those living in poverty are being treated like second-class citizens. Rather than staying in poverty and constantly living off others, they should get jobs, is a comment often heard. There are resources available to assist women, with education, daycare and housing to help women improve their future and the future of their children; poverty for women is at an all-time high in this country and getting a job is not always the only solution to this equation. Many people who live in poverty are often …show more content…
The responsibility of raising children, taken care of older adults, sick family members or unemployed family members often falls back on the women in the family. (Center for American Progress. Web.) With the additional family responsibilities, it is often difficult for women to hold a job once they have one, giving up before they even have a chance to move forward. As stated in The Working Poor, “real problems do exist.”, “I’ve got one woman with seven children, and she’s on the phone constantly with her children, one crisis after another.” (128). The responsibilities of the family often falls on women limiting them on, work hours, job promotions, full time employment, training and …show more content…
With the 1996 Welfare Reform Act, many of the benefits provided for welfare recipients have been cut and, great majorities of the welfare recipients were put on “notice” to get a job. One of the many issues is that those that are or were on welfare do not have the “soft skill”, (Shipler, 126), and do not possess the “hard skills”, (Shipler, 126), required to get a job that pays more that low-wage or minimum wage pay scales at the very best, therefore making the decision to seek employment not very desirable. In addition to not having the skills needed to acquire a good paying job, many of those who do work for low-wages have funds dollar to dollar taken away from state benefits once they start working, often this can make it even harder for those in poverty. As stated by Tonya Mitchell in Reclaiming Class, “I make $6.35 per hour at my job, and I have to pay a good portion of my monthly check for health care for my children and myself. I do have help with the state for childcare, but I have lost medical benefits, and food stamps, so life is much harder for me now that it was before. It contains very little hope.” (117). Once you are employed you are employed your benefits are “chipped away” (Shipler 41), often leaving the family with less than what is needed to live on for the month. Repeatedly, many of the women receiving federal and state assistance would work “informal jobs, “making