One of the problems with receiving welfare is the struggle to move on and get off of it. Welfare as defined is an insurance designed for families and individuals who by no fault of their o

But, not having a father in the child’s life is a huge issue that sometimes gets overshadowed by the stress and concern of money. “At least one in four families with children in the two most populous Indiana counties do not have a father in the home. These children are at an increased risk of poverty, substance abuse, emotional problems, academic challenges, criminal activity and early sexual activity.” (Erickson & King, 2001) These effects on a child are sometimes directly related to the issue of poverty in their home. The fact is that if a child is raised in a poverty stricken home, they have less of a chance at many of the opportunities afforded to those who are financially stable. The child support laws can help out mothers who are seeking child support payments and backpay to help them get on their feet but this only applies to some of the women. If the father is unemployed and can’t make payments, the mother and children suffer. However, if the father is underemployed and can obtain a job based on work history, occupational qualifications, prevailing job opportunities, and earnings at a community level, he can be accounted for and sentenced to make payments. Therefore a father can’t stop work just because he doesn’t want to pay child support. There are many cases, all of them different where a family is failing to get out of this poverty gap based on child support payments and welfare.

So why is it so hard for women to get off of welfare once they’ve started? “In the 1990’s, studies show that families headed by working single mothers experienced rising earnings due to the strong economy, work supports like the Earned Income Tax Credit and child care, and a reformed welfare system. Yet these increased earnings were fully offset by a decline in the benefits that government safety net programs provided.” (Edin & Lein, 1997) This decline in benefits leaves the people who did not have increased earnings deeper into poverty, making the poor that much poorer. “The benefits from working poor mothers had from government safety programs expanded, adding increased earnings and reduced poverty. But these benefits cancelled out income gains from higher earnings and resulted in no progress in reducing poverty despite the growing economy.” (Edin & Lein, 1997) The fact is that even with the possibility of increased earnings of a working mother, governmental aide programs are vital to keep these women out of poverty. Most women once on welfare aren’t able to come off of it because it’s hard to find a job that paid at least $32,000 a year- the point at which government income support is withdrawn.

Some topics in this essay:
Edin Lein, , Erickson King, Tax Credit, child support, child care, increased earnings, single mothers, social class, edin lein 1997, child support fathers, mothers welfare, lein 1997, edin lein, below poverty, poverty gap, getting looking statistics, class barely getting, barely getting looking,