Ontario Works and Single Mothers: Redefining “Deservedness and the Social Contract”

Journal of Canadian Studies • Revue d'etudes canadiennes Ontario Works and Single Mothers: Redefining "Deservedness and the Social Contract" Melodie Mayson For the first time in Ontario, since the introduction of the Ontario Mother's Allowance (OMA) programme in 1920, single mothers in financial need will lose an important form of protection that has been associated with their entitlement to assistance as full-time childcare providers. On 1May1998, the Ontario Works Act came into effect along ~th its mandatory employment requirements for single parents. With nearly 200,000 sole-support mothers as well as their children affected by changes to "mothers allowance," the significance of these developments cannot be underestimated. Through an examination of key ideological and structural transformations internal and external to the social assistance system, this article argues that a redefinition ofwomen's relationship to the employment market and to domestic labour is fundamental to the neo-conservative view holding sway in Ontario. By redefining single mothers' 11 deservedness" for financial assistance, traditionally viewed since 1920 as compensation for their contribution to society through child rearing, the Ontario government is legitimizing its broader withdrawal from social provision to those in need, and is compelling individuals to rely on their own private solutions to the systemic problems of unemployment, underemployment and the gender division oflabour. Paradoxically, by making Ontario's social assistance programme harsher in its economic and moral regulation of sole-support parents, the government has assumed even greater regulatory powers overthe lives of poor families and has effectively contradicted the "family values" it claims to uphold. Pour la premiere fois en Ontario depuis !'introduction du programme d'allocation aux meres ontariennes en 1920, les meres cf:libataires ayant des besoins financiers perdent une forme importante de protection qui avait ete associf:e avec leur droit a un soutien a titre de fournisseuses de services de garde d'enfants a plein temps. Le 1•• mai 1998, la Loi sur le programme Ontario au travail a ete prodamee et les exigences d'emploi pour les chefs de famille monoparentale ant ete mises en oeuvre. Avec pres de 200 OOO meres en charge de famille monoparentale et leurs enfants touches par les changements al' «allocation des meres», on ne peut pas sous-estimer !'importance de cette nouvelle situation. En examinant des transformations idf:ologiques et structurales cles qui sont externes et intemes au systeme d'aide sociale, cet article d.iscute du fait que la redefinition des liens des femmes avec le marche du travail et avec le travail domestique est fondamentale aux idf:es neoconservatrices qui predominent en Ontario. En redefinissant le «mf:rite» des meres celibataires en matiere d'aide financiere, qui etait traditionnellement evalue depuis 1920 comme une remuneration pour leur contribution a la societe en f:levant les enfants, le gouvemement ontarien justifie son plus vaste retrait de I'aide sodale aux personnes dans le besoin et incite les particuliers a se fier a leurs propres solutions aux problemes syst&natiques du ch6mage, du sousemploi et de la division de l'emploi selon le sexe. Paradoxalement, en rendant les programmes Volume 34 • No. 2 • (Ete 1999 Summer) 89 90 Melodie Mayson d'aide sodale de l'Ontario plus rigoureux dans le cadre de la reglementation economique et morale des chefs de famille monoparentale, le gouvemement a assume des pouvoirs reglementaires encore plus grands sur les vies des familles pauvres et a reussi aperturber les«valeurs familiales» qu'il se vantait de preserver. F or the first time in Ontario, since the introduction of the Ontario Mother's Allowance (OMA) programme in 1920, single mothers in financial need will lose an important form of protection that has been associated with their entitlement to assistance as full-time childcare providers. On 1May1998, the Ontario Works Act came into effect along with its mandatory employment requirements for single parents. With nearly 200,000 sole-support mothers as well as their children affected by changes to "mothers allowance," the significance of these developments cannot be underestimated. While the Ontario government's initiative enjoys widespread public support, as do many comparable programmes across Canada, it is crucial to ask some fundamental questions: Why are women an important target ofworkfare programmes? ls the...