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The Welfare State and the Family

The beginning of the modern American welfare state is generally associated with the War on Poverty and the Great Society programs initiated by President Lyndon Johnson in the 1960s. That said, many of President Johnson's programs constituted an expansion of smaller welfare programs established under President Franklin D. Roosevelt during the Great Depression.

The most often cited rationale for welfare is to provide a small amount of additional assistance to families in times of economic hardship. Yet, according to welfare opponents, beneficiaries of these programs often become so dependent upon handouts, that they avoid work, forgo marriage, and eschew family planning. The welfare state is believed to have an especially negative influence on males, encouraging them to discount their role as family providers. Opponents of welfare often point to the decided increase in marriage and employment, and the decrease in illegitimate births and poverty after the enactment of the Welfare Reform Act of 1996 (PRWORA) as proof that the welfare state has adverse effects on the family.

On the other hand, those who support welfare suggest that its reform has actually caused many families to experience greater hardships. Proponents believe that it is cruel and uncompassionate to take away assistance from impoverished, single mothers who are struggling to provide their children with proper food, clothing, and care. Those opposed to welfare reform also believe that family poverty levels have been on the rise since 1996, and as such, suggest that the removal of government aid causes further harm to America's lowest income class.

This library section looks at the influence of various welfare programs on American families. However, it also delves into the relationship between the family and less visible aspects of the welfare state, such as adoption, social security, and the tax burden the welfare state places upon American families.

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In this piece, Jennifer Roback Morse extends the idea of the welfare state to areas such as social security. Morse contends that the rise of social security has caused parents to neglect the raising of their children, which in turn causes their children to neglect them in their old age. This pattern results in the breakdown of the family by furthering reliance on...

"Very high rates of family breakdown in the United States are subtracting from what very large numbers of students are learning in school—besides holding them back in many other ways.

This in turn is damaging the country economically, by making us less hospitable to innovation while also leaving millions of Americans less competitive in an increasingly demanding worldwide marketplace....

According to the editors at National Review Online, Obama's policies on welfare are seeking to undo the effective work done by his Democratic predecessor, Bill Clinton. While President...

"Sasha and Malia apparently aren't enough for Michelle Obama. She wants to mother our children, too. That's the only conclusion that can be reached when observing the First Lady's campaign to decrease parents' role in raising their children.

Obama's latest method of gaining more control is through school food nutrition standards. Noting that home-packed lunches aren't up to the First...

"Obama's desperate protests that his anti-business rant was taken out of context are betrayed both by that very context and because they are a part of a piece — just one more component of his war against the American entrepreneurial spirit.

He would have us believe that his words 'you didn’t build that' referred to roads and bridges and not businesses.

Given his accompanying...

According to Jarret, it is the duty of government "to give people a livelihood so that they can provide for their families.

According to Walter Williams, the black family was successfully rising out of poverty in the two decades preceding the 1960s. However, the well-being of the black family took a dramatic plunge following the welfare programs implemented...

In the eyes of Mitch Pearlstein, social welfare programs have done a lot of good, but they are also responsible for tearing down families. Pearlstein continues by declaring that when welfare programs break up the family, they also further the level of crime in our nation. The article infers that states could save tax money on crime by reducing tax spending on...

According to Rector and Bradley, a hidden provision in the stimulus bill of 2009 encouraged states to increase their welfare rosters. This encouragement was supposed to come in the form of monetary...

This piece traces the origins of the American welfare state and then describes its effective, though unintended, promotion of "welfare dependency, poverty, unmarried motherhood, and nonwork." Norman Barry goes on to explain the effects...

This piece describes the "stealth" attempt to undo the 1996 welfare reform act through a small phrase in the 2009 stimulus bill. According to this article, welfare reform may have some problems, but these problems need to be debated in the open rather than passed...

"Given all the problems that come with government, including waste and loss of freedom, government action should always be a last, desperate resort. Unfortunately, for decades government action has been the first resort in dealing with social problems. When it comes to family life, the negative fallout from this government-first philosophy should be obvious to all who understand economics and...

In this piece, James Payne extends the negative effects of the welfare state to government's role in the realm of adoption. According to Payne, government management of the adoption system not only inhibits loving families from adopting children, it also encourages unloving families to adopt through the offer of welfare subsidies. Payne believes that offering...

In this piece, Vedran Vuk subtly asks readers to consider what non-wealthy people did before the advent of welfare. According to Vuk, families stuck together and worked hard to ensure the well-being of their loved ones. Vuk believes that the arrival of the welfare state changed all of this and served to destroy families and their sense of duty, honor, and character...

"The press has rushed to report a minuscule drop in 'teen births' based on data released Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). As usual, the mainstream media are focusing on a trivial, politically correct story while ignoring the real story buried in the data.

Here's the real story: According to CDC, a record 40.6...

According to Wade Horn, the Congressional welfare reform of 1996 encouraged welfare recipients to enter the job market, but it failed to discourage illegitimate child-bearing and encourage marriage. Horn gives several examples of state sponsored...

"Regardless of the definition of poverty or opinions on solutions for change, one thing is certain: Getting on government assistance is a lot easier than getting off. Many single mothers who become dependent on welfare programs find the road to self-sufficiency difficult.

Tanya Shavers, a 34-year-old mother of four who recently moved out of the Section 8 Payton Garden housing complex in...

"The proportion of single mothers on welfare has plummeted, while their employment rates have soared. Strikingly, these changes have been most pronounced for the least-advantaged women. But the big question is whether these developments are attributable to the reforms or are mainly a byproduct of the corresponding economic boom.

...

Chart or Graph

"Are welfare recipients less likely to hold 'traditional' family values than other women? Are they less likely to want to marry and more likely to want additional children than other women?

Exhibit 1 compares views on 'traditional' family values (in...

With the enactment of welfare reform in 1996, however, black child poverty plummeted at an unprecedented rate, falling by more than a quarter to 30 percent in 2001. Over the six-year period after welfare reform, 1.2 million black children were lifted out of poverty. Despite the economic recession in 2001, the poverty rate for black children was at the lowest point in national history.

As the title implies, this chart lists several characteristics of AFDC recipients, including education and work levels, and marital and parental status. Interestingly, the category that the largest amount of recipients fits into is the "never married" category, a fact which could be a strong indicator of AFDC's effect on families.

"The families examined in each survey year are divided into two groups. The first group consists of families who received Aid to Families With Dependent Children (AFDC) or Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) at the time of the survey. ... The second group—recent AFDC/TANF leavers—represents families that received AFDC/TANF between 1995 and 1997 (in the...

"[T]he welfare rolls have plummeted by more than half since late 1994, with most of that decline occurring after TANF's enactment."

This chart graphs total welfare spending from 1950 to 2008. Welfare spending began a drastic ascent after the beginning of the 1964 War on Poverty, and although various reforms have caused the increases to level off at certain times, government welfare spending has still climbed to over $700 billion dollars per year.

"• In 2011, the official poverty rate was 15.0 percent. There were 46.2 million people in poverty (Figure 4 and Table 3).

• After 3 consecutive years of increases, neither the official poverty rate nor the number of people in poverty were statistically different from the 2010 estimates (Figure 4 and Table 3)."

"• Median household income was $50,054 in 2011, a 1.5 percent decline in real terms from 2010 (Figure 1 and Table 1). This was the second consecutive annual decline in household income.

• In 2011, real median household income was 8.1 percent lower than in 2007, the year before the most recent recession, and was 8.9 percent lower than the median household income peak that occurred in...

"[A]s shown in Figure 2, the women who left welfare have not been left destitute; instead, they have joined the workforce in record-breaking numbers. Nevertheless, aggregate figures cannot tell the whole story. It is possible, as many critics allege, that those who have left welfare for work are primarily more educated, white women with work experience, leaving...

"In the typical U.S. state, less than half of teenagers have grown up in intact married families. But in eleven states, a majority of teenagers have been raised by both parents. Minnesota leads the Midwest and the nation with an Index of Family Belonging of 57 percent. Utah leads the West and is second in the nation with 56.5 percent. New Jersey leads the Northeast and is third nationally with...

"A number of other major changes in the characteristics of welfare recipients occurred in the 1990's including the racial composition of welfare families, the age of adult recipients, the age of the youngest child, and the employment rate of adults. The trends in AFDC/TANF recipient characteristics since 2002 are presented in Figure B...."

This chart shows the growth of government spending on welfare from 1900 to 2012. Welfare spending especially accelerated after 2005.

“Despite TANF’s emphasis on persuasion and changing the culture of welfare, there has been very little information about whether welfare reforms have begun to change how people think about desirable family formation outcomes. Here, we present new information on this question from two recent surveys. Abt Associates conducted the surveys from 1999-2000 in Delaware...

Analysis Report White Paper

"The analysis in this report covers a group of families affected by welfare reform, those who have remained off the TANF rolls and have not come on, a group we term TANF 'non-entrants.' Non-entrants are composed of families who have never thought about applying for TANF and are self-sufficient without welfare, but also families who have thought about applying but...

In order to assess the behavioral and cognitive differences between children on welfare and children off welfare, this study examined families in both categories. The researchers discovered a few interesting surprises, but overall, their original assumptions were proved correct. One of their findings showed that children growing up on welfare are more likely to be...

This report challenges the notion that welfare reform had little effect on the reduction of child poverty in the United States. The authors examine the decided decline in child poverty in the six years following welfare reform and conclude the following:

...

As is to be expected, leaving the welfare system is not the easiest thing in the world. In this paper, Heather Boushey presents several statistics to show that the hardships of welfare families actually increase when they attempt to get out of the welfare state...

"The report’s main findings are as follows:

  • The number of families on welfare declined by 50 percent between the passage of welfare reform legislation in August, 1996 and the date for the most recent caseload statistics, September, 2000.
  • Most of the women heading these families have gone to work, contrary to the...

"Old people in Sweden say that to be Swedish means to supply for your own, to take care of your self, and never be a burden on anyone else's shoulders. Independence and hard work was the common perception of a decent life, and the common perception of morality. That was less than one hundred years ago. ...

My grandmother, born in 1920, was of the last generation to have that special...

This piece offers a fascinating look into the correlations between welfare and destructive childhood behaviors. According to the authors, studies have shown that children on welfare will earn less as adults, obtain lower levels of education, struggle with anger and hyperactivity, and in general, follow in the footsteps of their welfare-dependent parents. Fagan and...

"As a foundation, this introductory article explains the federal-state program of cash assistance called Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC), to which the term welfare refers in most of these articles. While a number of other social...

This piece provides an interesting look into a decade in which the welfare state was growing, but was definitely not as massive as it is today. Mary Jo Bane examines whether or not the increasing influence of welfare was detrimental to society and the family. Her analysis suggests that the welfare state was not overly damaging, but could grow to be a problem in the...

Many studies have been conducted on those who left the welfare payroll in the early days of welfare reform. This study seeks to present updated information on the circumstances of those who left welfare several years after it was reformed. The...

This link features a transcript of an event on welfare and its effects on families. The event combines commentary from respected researchers and also incorporates personal anecdotes from those who have received welfare. Many of the participants speak favorably of...

This piece frames the breakdown of the traditional family as one of the large factors behind American child poverty. This is especially true in low income families where out-of-wedlock birthrates are quite high. Interestingly, Robert Rector notes that the desire for...

"Originally conceived as a means to prop up sagging crop prices to support American farmers, the Food Stamp Program, now called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, has exploded into a welfare program that costs tax payers a record $75.67 billion in 2011. ... Almost everyone has heard this story, but few realize that only three corporations have cornered the market for...

Contrary to what some have claimed, Melissa Pardue asserts that the welfare reform act of 1996 drastically reduced poverty for children in the black community. Pardue specifically declares that "[s]ince welfare reform, the poverty rate among black children has...

Recognizing that married, two-parent families are better for a child's well-being, this piece analyzes the effects of welfare reforms on the institution of marriage. The authors use data from a variety of surveys and conclude that most welfare reforms...

"This essay examines Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), which is a joint federal-state cash assistance program for low-income families with children." The authors provide a brief history of America's welfare programs and reforms through the years and...

"When Congress passed the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act of 1996, teenage parents were on center stage. They were likely to end up on welfare, reported researchers, and their children were likely to experience poor health, have a hard time in school, become teen parents themselves, and spend time in prison. In an effort to respond to these...

This piece examines the issue of whether or not increased welfare benefits are directly related to family breakup and single motherhood. Unlike many studies, Moehling's piece goes beyond the welfare ascendancy of the sixties by tracing welfare issues back to the...

Combining the opinions of a variety of panelists, this piece discusses the issue of healthy marriage and its relation to the welfare state, especially amongst low-income communities. This piece recognizes that the promotion of marriage is a good thing, and also brings up several statistics showing the direct correlation between the growth of welfare and the...

According to this piece, the "good news about welfare reform" is that it is effectively decreasing poverty in low-income families and is also encouraging its participants to pursue behaviors that are beneficial to children and society at large....

"The Index of Family Belonging was 45.8 percent with a corresponding Family Rejection score of 54.2 percent for the United States for the year 2009. The action of parents determines the belonging or rejection score: whether they marry and belong to each other, or whether they reject one another through divorce or otherwise. Rejection leaves children without married parents committed to one...

This research brief seeks to assess the impacts of welfare reform on personal affairs such as family, marriage, and childbearing. The researchers imply that many welfare reform programs do not have a positive effect on marriage and out-of-wedlock birth rates. However, as the report goes on, the researchers do admit that several state welfare reform programs have...

"One of the purposes ... of TANF is to 'end the dependence of needy parents on government benefits by promoting job preparation, work, and marriages.' ... The purpose of this Article is to review the literature on welfare reform and TANF, to determine whether or not TANF's stated purpose is being met in Mississippi, and to recommend changes in laws or policies which we believe would help...

As the title infers, this piece seeks to determine the marriage and childbearing mindset of those on welfare programs. The authors find that the welfare reforms of 1996 influenced more women to view marriage favorably and out-of-wedlock childbearing unfavorably....

Video/Podcast/Media

"The subcommittee heard testimony about welfare programs in general and about specifics of the Republican proposal. The plan would turn over to the states control of the major welfare programs, Aid to Families with Dependent Children and Medicaid."

Part two can be found...

"Jason's DeParle's new book, American Dream: Three Women, Ten Kids, and The Nation's Drive to End Welfare, is an insightful look at welfare reform, poverty and the underclass. It examines the evolution of welfare reform in policy circles in Washington as well as the impact of reform on the lives of inner city families. Our discussion will focus on the...

"Christopher Paton, who runs JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s public-sector benefit payments business, talks with Bloomberg's Margaret Brennan about trends in food-stamp use in the U.S. 37 million Americans are currently enrolled to receive food stamps. JPMorgan is the largest processor of food-stamp benefits in the U.S."

In this clip, Thomas Sowell debates Pennsylvania's welfare secretary Helen Bohen O'Bannion. The former adamantly argues that the welfare state is at fault for the decided decline of the black family through the years. Sowell's debate opponent implies that it is the responsibility of the government to try to lift up the lower class' standard of living....

"If America does not get welfare reform under control, it will bankrupt America. But the Heritage Foundation's Robert Rector has a five-step plan to reform welfare while protecting our most vulnerable."

Primary Document

The full text version of the original legislation which was signed into law August 14, 1935 by FDR.

In testifying about whether or not funding should be increased for school nutrition programs, Robert Rector delves into the effects government subsidized welfare has on children and adults. According...

"I have tried as President to preserve and strengthen three significant legacies: world peace, productive jobs for all here in this country, and then strong families. And when it comes to family, I think maybe Barbara said it the best. She said, 'What goes on at the White House is not nearly as important as what goes on in your house." And what she was saying was emphasizing the importance of...

"This report presents data on income, poverty, and health insurance coverage in the United States based on information collected in the 2012 and earlier Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplements (CPS ASEC) conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Summary of findings:
• Real median household income declined between 2010 and 2011, a second consecutive annual...

In King v. Smith, the Supreme Court upheld a lower court's ruling on the ability of single mothers to collect AFDC payments (the precursor to today's TANF welfare program). In essence, the high court ruled that government welfare payments could no longer be withheld from...

Personal Responsibility and
Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996

The...

Testifying before a Senate subcommittee, Michael Tanner declares that welfare dependency often encourages a higher level of crime. The reasons Tanner offers to support this theory include the fact that single-parent - and welfare recipient - family members are often crime participants, as well as the fact that welfare support often alienates black males. Tanner...

Bill Wood's testimony argues for welfare reauthorization to place more emphasis on restoring traditional families by discouraging divorce and illegitimacy. According to Wood, concepts and practices that discourage traditional families lead...

This report presents numerous details and statistics on the TANF welfare program. According to the report, TANF is a "$16.5 billion a year block grant [that] was enacted under the Personal Responsibility and Work...

Cited as "An Act To strengthen the agricultural economy; to help to achieve a fuller and more effective use of food abundances; to provide for improved levels of nutrition among low-income households through a cooperative Federal-State program of food...

Often cited as one of the seminal writings on welfare's effects on the family, this piece describes the state of the black family in the mid-1960s. Chapter 2 of this document specifically relates the breakdown of the black family to the rise of the welfare...

"The earlier part of this book appeared in the form of five articles which came out in the 'New Witness' at the crisis of the recent controversy in the Press on the subject of divorce. Crude and sketchy as they confessedly were, they had a certain rude plan of their own, which I find it very difficult to recast even in order to expand. I have therefore decided to reprint the original articles...

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