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Preface | |
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Acknowledgments | |
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Introduction: Putting a Face on Welfare | |
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Critical and Feminist Frameworks | |
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Specific Contributions of This Study of Lived Experience | |
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Welfare and Public Policy | |
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Where Are the Voices of Welfare Recipients in the Discussion? | |
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A National Profile of Welfare Recipients | |
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Who Are the Participants in This Study? | |
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Conclusion and Organization | |
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Critical Thinking Questions | |
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Historical and Persisting Dilemmas: How Do We Explain Poverty, What Should We Do about It? | |
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History of Cash Assistance | |
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Welfare Reform: "Ending Welfare As We Know It" | |
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Explanations of Poverty and Welfare Use | |
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Individualism | |
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Social Structuralism | |
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Culture of Poverty | |
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Fatalism | |
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Critical Thinking Questions | |
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Stigma and Discrimination | |
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Awareness of Societal Attitudes Toward Welfare Recipients | |
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Racism and Welfare | |
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Contexts Where Stigma and Discrimination Occur | |
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Managing Stigma | |
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Denial | |
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Distancing Themselves from Other Welfare Recipients | |
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Blaming External Forces: "It's Not My Fault." | |
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Extolling the Importance of Motherhood | |
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Critical Thinking Questions | |
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Why Welfare? | |
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The Influence of Social Structure | |
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Employment | |
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The Risk of Losing Health Insurance | |
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Childcare | |
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Fathers' Involvement | |
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Transportation | |
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Racism and Sexism | |
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The Welfare System Breeds "Dependence" on the System | |
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Fatalism | |
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Bad Luck | |
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Poor Health | |
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The Ending of Relationships | |
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Violence | |
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Why the Inconsistency Between Explanations of Their Own and Others' Use of Welfare? | |
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Critical Thinking Questions | |
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Day-to-Day Living and Decision Making | |
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Daily Activities: Wild Living or Depressing Routine? | |
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Making Ends Meet with "The Check" | |
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Living and Surviving on Food Stamps | |
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Juggling Bills | |
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Coping with the Stress | |
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Affording Life's "Luxuries" | |
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Supplementing Welfare | |
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Critical Thinking Questions | |
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Living and Surviving Welfare: The Importance of Family, Friends, and Formal Support | |
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Informal Support: Help from Families, Friends and Neighbors, and Children's Fathers | |
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Assistance from Families | |
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Assistance from Friends and Neighbors | |
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Assistance from Children's Fathers | |
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Formal Support: Help from Charities and Social Services | |
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Working Side Jobs: Is This Fraud? | |
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Critical Thinking Questions | |
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Insider's Perspectives on the Welfare System | |
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Florida WAGES: A Case Example | |
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The Role of Government | |
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Opinions of the Welfare System | |
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Strengths of the Welfare System | |
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Weaknesses of the Welfare System | |
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Welfare Reforms | |
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Time Limits | |
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Work Requirements | |
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Family Caps | |
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Ideas for Reform | |
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Improving the Welfare System | |
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Improving the Structure of Low-Tier Work | |
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Critical Thinking Questions | |
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Getting Off Welfare | |
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The Women in the Middle: Increasing Human Capital Is Only One Answer | |
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Education and Employment Training | |
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Work Experience | |
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The Importance of Our Social Structure | |
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Not Enough Jobs | |
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Types of Jobs Available for Women on Welfare | |
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The Value of Health Insurance | |
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Why Some Women on Welfare Are Hesitant to Take Jobs | |
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Critical Thinking Questions | |
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Conclusion: Lessons Learned and Visions of Change | |
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The Gendered Nature of Welfare and Welfare Reform | |
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Has Welfare Reform Been a Success or a Failure? | |
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The Reasons for Its Failure | |
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Insights from Other Countries | |
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Critical Thinking Questions | |
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Appendix: Websites of Interest | |
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References | |
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Index | |