Women and Welfare

From Baruch Course Wikis

Gina Pedalino

Caregiving

In my research, I will be looking into the caregiving activities that are supported by the welfare state, the devaluation of childcare, as well as AFDC/ mothers pensions. Caregiving should be looked at as a positive aspect of society instead of the negativity that childcare is looked at throughout society especially in the workforce.

Caregiving is someone who provides different types of care to another person. Its helping someone out, assisting and nurturing them. They take on a role of love and responsibility. As rewarding it can be, its very stressful; especially when society views it as a natural behavior.

Caregiving is estimated that unpaid caregiving services is valued at 306 billion dollars a year, comparable to medicare spending since 2004.72 percent of women are caregivers.

1. In what ways are caregiving activities supported by the state?

a. after school programs:

b. boy/girl scouts

c. daycare

d. sports

2. Devaluation of Caregiving

a. look down on caregivers

b. housewives (unpaid Work)

c. unsupported/ ignored- although its hard to raise children

d. society feels its unskilled(natural behavior)

e. lower level than the workplace

f. since you are taking responsibility, isnt that providing to

society, so shouldnt you be seen as an employer...

3. Paid Caregiving (childcare worker,nurses aide)

a. women of color/ immigrants-shown with no respect

b. race/ ethnicty shows that they dont deserve a high prestige

c. inequality/ low paid work

d. no leisure time, no respect, low income, and no quality of care

4. AFDC/ Pension Mothers

a. allows mothers to stay at home

b. recieve money for children

c. no incentive to get a job

d. were dependent on the money

e. didnt life people above the poverty line

5. Do mothers take advantage of the AFDC?

Society feels if the welfare benefits icrease, so will the recipients. Many people said why work if you could recieve money for free. This is not true, because it shows that states with the most generous welfare systems have fewer recipients than vice versa. So, why do people look at welfare for families that are in need as such a bad thing we put our money into?

Bibliography

1.DeParle, Jason. American Dream : Three Women, Ten Kids, and a Nation's Drive to End Welfare. New York: Viking Adult, 2004.

2. Bernstein, Nina. The lost children of wilder. New York: 2001.

3. Harvey Phillip, Marmor Theodore, Mashow Jerry. Americas Misunderstood welfare state. United States: 1990.