Mothers' Work and Children's Lives: Low-Income Families after Welfare Reform

Contents

vii Contents Acknowledgments xi 1 The Road to Welfare Reform 1 The Ideological Divide on Helping the Poor 3 The New Welfare Bill 5 The Response: What about the Children? 7 Surprising Results: Caseloads Plummet 10 The Low-Wage Job Market 11 Mothers’ Work and Children’s Development 12 The Focus of the Book 17 2 The Women’s Employment Study—Context and Content 19 The Policy Context in Michigan 19 The Data Source: Women’s Employment Study 22 Measures 24 Snapshot of the Study Participants 30 The Connection between Mothers’ Employment and Changes in 42 Child Development Empirical Strategy 43 3 The Effect of Low-Income Mothers’ Employment on Children 51 The Juggling Act 54 Unpredictable Work Schedules Associated with Behavior Problems 62 Job Churn and Associated Risks for Children 67 Not All Work Is Detrimental 78 Effects of Other Measures 82 Recap of Main Results 84 4 Conclusions and Policy Implications 87 Remaining Puzzles 90 Anticipating the Future 94 Promising Options—Improving Job Retention and Advancement 95 for Low-Income Working Parents Beyond Intervention: Strengthening the Safety Net 101 Appendix A: Measures 107 Appendix B: Empirical Methods 123 viii References 129 The Authors 139 Index 141 About the Institute 147 ix Figures 2.1 Work and Welfare Status among Women in the WES 33 2.2 Percent in Poverty among Women in the WES 34 2.3 Comparison between WES and National Samples (12-month 40 prevalence except where noted) 3.1 Effects of Mothers’ Fluctuating Work Hours on Child Behavior 64 Outcomes, Child Fixed-Effects Results 3.2 Longer-Run Impacts of Mothers’ Fluctuating Work Hours on 65 Child Behavior Outcomes at End of Survey, Longer-Run Model Results 3.3 Effects of Mothers’ Job Instability (relative to job stability) on 66 Child Behavior Outcomes, Child Fixed-Effects Results 3.4 Longer-Run Impacts of Maternal Employment on Child Behavior 70 Outcomes at End of Survey, Longer-Run Model Results 3.5 Differential Effects of Mothers’ Increase to Full-Time Work by 74 Wage Growth Potential on Child Behavior Outcomes at End of Survey, Longer-Run Model Results 3.6 Differential Effects of Increase to Full-Time Work by Wage 75 Growth Potential on Child Academic Progress, Longer-Run Model Results 3.7 The Effects of Involuntary Residential Instability on Child 83 Well-Being: Behavior Problems, Child Fixed-Effect Results x Tables 2.1 Descriptive Statistics of WES Mothers and Children, 1997–2003 31 2.2 Summary Statistics of Maternal Work Involvement, WES 36 1997–2003 2.3 Summary Statistics of Maternal Job Transition Patterns 38 3.1 Children’s Outcomes Classified by Mothers’ Recent Employment 52 Histories, WES 1997–2003 3.2 Longer-Run Child Outcomes at End of Study Classified by 53 Mothers’ Work Experience Profiles, 1997–2003 3.3 Other Characteristics of Childhood Families Classified by 56 Mothers’ Recent Employment Histories, WES 1997–2003 3.4 The Effects of Maternal Employment Patterns on Child Well- 58 Being: All Behavior Problems,WES 1997–2003 3.5 The Effects of Changes in Maternal Employment Patterns on 59 Changes in Child Well-Being: WES 1997–2003 3.6 The Longer-Run Impacts of Maternal Employment Patterns on 60 Child Well-Being: WES 1997–2003 3.7 Predicted Child Outcome at End of Study by Mothers’ Work 81 Experience Profiles, 1997–2003 A.1 The Effects of Maternal Employment Patterns on Child Well- 112 Being: Expanded Models A.2 The Effects of Changes in Maternal Employment Patterns on 116 Changes in Child Well-Being: Expanded Models A.3 The Longer-Run Impacts of Maternal Employment Patterns on 119 Child Well-Being: Expanded Models A.4 Unconditional Growth Curve Models of Children’s Behavioral 122 Problems ...