Overview

Most Americans are insulated from the poor; it's hard to imagine the challenges of poverty, the daily fears of crime and victimization, the frustration of not being able to provide for a child. Instead, we are often exposed to the rhetoric and hyperbole about the excesses of the American welfare system. These messages color our perception of the welfare problem in the United States and they close the American mind to a full understanding of the complexity of family poverty. But who are these poor families? What do we know about how they arrived in such desperate straits? Is poverty their fate for a lifetime or for only a brief period? In Faces of Poverty, Jill Duerr Berrick answers these questions as she dispels the misconceptions and myths about welfare and the welfare population that have clouded the true picture of poverty in America. Over the course of a year, Berrick spent numerous hours as a participant-observer with five women and their families, documenting their daily activities, thoughts, and fears as they managed the strains of poverty. We meet Ana, Sandy, Rebecca, Darlene, and Cora, all of whom, at some point, have turned to welfare for support. Each represents a wider segment of the welfare population--ranging from Ana (who lost a business, injured her back, and temporarily lost her job, all in a short period of time) to Cora (who was raised in poverty, spent ten years in an abusive relationship, and now struggles to raise six children in a drug-infested neighborhood). And as Berrick documents these women's experiences, she also debunks many of the myths about welfare: she reveals that welfare is not generous (welfare families remain below the poverty line even with government assistance); that the majority of women on welfare are not long-term welfare dependents; that welfare does not run in families; that welfare mothers do not keep having children to increase their payments (women on welfare have, on average, two children); and that almost half of all women on welfare turned to it after a divorce. At a time when welfare has become a hotly debated political issue, Faces of Poverty gives us the facts. The debate surrounding welfare will continue as each of the 50 states struggles to reform their welfare programs, and this debate will turn on the public's perception of the welfare population. Berrick offers insight into each of the reforms under consideration and starkly demonstrates their implications for poor women and children. She provides a window into these women's lives, brilliantly portraying their hopes and fears and their struggle to live with dignity.

Full Product Details

9780195113754

Table of Contents

Reviews

<br> Berrick proves to be a superb reporter and analyst, compassionate without being maudlin. --The Oakland Tribune<p><br> An absorbing solidly documented study of America's welfare system and the circumstances of five women and their children who are dependent on it....A passionate, perceptive assessment of a complex and timely issue. --Kirkus Reviews<p><br> Battling media stereotypes of welfare recipients as lazy, scheming 'welfare queens, ' Berrick...provides probing profiles of five typical welfare mother....She concludes with a tart critique of various welfare reform proposals such as time limits and caps on family grants. --Publishers Weekly<p><br>

An absorbing, solidly documented study of America's welfare system and the circumstances of five women and their children who are dependent upon it. Berrick (director of the Center for Research on Public Social Services at the School of Social Welfare at the University of California at Berkeley) focuses on five diverse families in her attempt to dispel stereotypical myths of welfare mothers. Too many Americans, contends Berrick, perceive welfare recipients as lazy, irresponsible, and conniving. Budget-cutting politicians, moreover, are quick to offer simple economic solutions to complex social problems. Three of the women portrayed here have temporarily fallen through the cracks and need some assistance to get back on their feet. The other two, products of highly unstable backgrounds, are not likely to walk even with society's crutches. Berrick is clearly sympathetic to the full range of her subjects. She argues that none of the women depicted here wanted to be on welfare, and few of them expected to use it for a long time. Long-term welfare users, comprised mainly of high school dropouts and women of color, are the exception rather than the rule. Berrick's statistics illustrate how welfare alone does not lift a family above the poverty level, and she elucidates how the system encourages mothers to cheat in order to make ends meet. The author feels that many condescending welfare officials also evoke hostility, and she is extremely critical of welfare workers, whom she describes as notoriously rude and unhelpful. One theme that emerges, though not addressed by Berrick, is these women's poor choices of mates - men who are mostly irresponsible and abusive alcoholics or drug addicts. A passionate, perceptive assessment of a complex and timely issue. (Kirkus Reviews)

Berrick proves to be a superb reporter and analyst, compassionate without being maudlin. --The Oakland Tribune<br> An absorbing solidly documented study of America's welfare system and the circumstances of five women and their children who are dependent on it....A passionate, perceptive assessment of a complex and timely issue. --Kirkus Reviews<br> Battling media stereotypes of welfare recipients as lazy, scheming 'welfare queens, ' Berrick...provides probing profiles of five typical welfare mother....She concludes with a tart critique of various welfare reform proposals such as time limits and caps on family grants. --Publishers Weekly<br>

Author Information

Jill Duerr Berrick is the Director of the Center for Social Services Research and the Child Welfare Research Center at the School of Social Welfare, University of California, Berkeley. She has conducted numerous studies of children and families and has published her findings in several books and articles.

Tab Content 6

Countries Available