User:Sallyfried/Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act

Work Requirements
Opponents of entitlement welfare services introduced the idea of work requirements for previous entitlement programs such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). Instead of Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) which was an entitlement program, the shift from AFDC to TANF introduced the idea of having to qualify for welfare through employment. Research from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities found, however, that work requirements do not cut poverty as advocates for work requirements would hope. The CBPP found that increased employment weakened over time after the work requirements were put in place. They also found that "stable employment among recipients subject to work requirements proved the exception, not the norm." As well as citing many barriers to employment, even after work programs were introduced. Finally, they found that most individuals who were subject to work requirements "remained poor, and some became poorer."

Impact of Work Requirements on Women
It is reported by the National Women's Law Center that "more than 10 million women are the sole support for their children and families." In addition in the labor economy, most women are relegated to service sector jobs and jobs dubbed as low-wage earning jobs. Because of these factors, women are in a unique position when it comes to welfare, poverty, and work. Without proper education and training programs, women are often not able to obtain jobs that provide an income large enough to lift themselves and their families out of welfare. Another major impact of work requirements on women in welfare programs is the absence of adequate and affordable child care. This issue disproportionately affects single mothers on welfare who are required to get a job but are also the primary caregiver to their children. According to census data from 1995, one year before PWORWA was enacted, found that "11 million children under age 6 have mothers who work outside the hoe and thus make use of some form of child care. It has been estimated that this number will increase by almost 2 million when mothers who previously received AFDC assistance are required to find employment." Child care provides a critical barrier to low-income mothers who now are required to find work.

Single-mother households and "disconnected" families
The "Final Rule" provision enforced by the passing of PRWORA is a provision that attempts to establish paternity for children living in poverty. This provision created a more comprehensive system for establishing paternity of children by increasing access to voluntary paternity tests for men and their possible children. For single mothers attempting to receive child support, these mothers must first establish paternity for their children. This provision creates men's identities as "fathers". In addition, this provision disproportionately affects unwed mothers and attempts to police pre-marital relations by centering single mothers in the discussion of child support and welfare assistance. However, this act in its description claims that it is trying to increase the case-load of child support clients. In its description of the "Final Rule" provision, the Department of Health and Human Services writes that, "In 1992, only 54 percent of single-parent families with children had a child support order established and, of that number, only about one-half received the full amount due." When PRWORA was passed, one of the main concerns of politicians and lawmakers was that there was a high number of single mothers or unwed mothers receiving federal assistance stating that from 1970 to the 1990s, the rate of unwed mothers giving birth had increased three times its original rate, as well as unmarried teen mothers. When PRWORA was being discussed by lawmakers, there was an emphasis on decreasing the amount of single mothers or unwed mothers by promoting marriage and two parent households. PROWRA is legislation that promotes a heteronormative nuclear family structure by encouraging mothers to parent with the fathers of their children.

Violation of Women's Constitutional Rights
According to a study by the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence, it was found that "over half of the women receiving welfare said they had experienced physical abuse by an intimate male partner at some point during their adult lives." According to a mixed methods study about welfare recipients in Allegheny County, PA, in many cases, domestic violence follows a woman to work. This study finds that having a job in a specific location gives their abusive partners a place to follow these women to. As Brush explains, Work becomes a surveillance tactic of abusive men, often putting these women's jobs in jeopardy. Many abusive men also look down on women for their jobs and are unsupportive of their employment. They often prefer their partners to be home, possibly taking care of children they may have, Brush states. Employment is seen as something a woman does for herself, so this is often looked down upon by their abusive partners as they struggle to maintain control over their partners. Work can produce new fuel for conflict as women will be spending less time at home, and will be exposed to new social connections, some financial freedom, etc. Abuse can also interfere with a woman's employment, often causing women to go to the hospital when they should be working or making it so their injuries prevent them from going to work. Finally, conflict can sometimes follow these women to work, putting their employment in jeopardy and thus putting their welfare benefits in jeopardy.