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Women’s Employment Study Overview. Longitudinal study of white non-Hispanic and African American women who received TANF (single parent case) in February 1997 Sample drawn from one urban Michigan county. Response rates: 1997 – 86% (753 women) 1998 – 93% (693 women)
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Women’s Employment Study Overview Longitudinal study of white non-Hispanic and African American women who received TANF (single parent case) in February 1997 Sample drawn from one urban Michigan county. Response rates: • 1997 – 86% (753 women) • 1998 – 93% (693 women) • 1999 – 91% (632 women) • 2001 – 91% (577 women) • 2003 – 93% (536 women) No evidence that attrition bias is a problem.
Highlights of overall findings • Welfare to work progress in this study mirrors that found in welfare studies across the nation • Employment has increased • Welfare reliance has plummeted • Poverty rates have fallen but remain high • Proportion of families who have neither work nor welfare is small but growing
Barriers are prevalent & persistent-Prevalence and persistence of five problems
(34.2%) (34.0%) (24.9%) (7.0%) N=503
(34.2%) (34.0%) (24.9%) (7.0%) N=503
What factors differentiate families who had longer stays on FIP rolls? Families who accumulated 40 or more months of receipt in a 60-month period (compared to those with shorter duration of receipt) had significantly: • lower education, 43% of the longer term recipients had less than high school degree (compared to 25% of those with less FIP receipt) • persistent health problems, 18% of long term recipients (vs. 9% of others) • low literacy, 28% (vs. 16% of others) • persistent child health problems, 14% (vs. 4%)
Policy Implications • Recipients moved into work at record levels, especially prior to 2001 • However, there is less of this movement among women with multiple barriers to employment • Many states and counties are concerned that the high barrier, multi-problem family may be a larger proportion of the current caseload than in the earlier stages of welfare reform
Implications (continued) • Innovations for welfare recipients and low income working mothers should provide supports beyond job search and placement. Services are needed for: • Assessment and referral for maternal and child health and mental health problems. • Programs such as supported work or transitional jobs for people with high barriers and/or low skills, modeled on programs for the disabled. • Participation in services and work experience could count as meeting participation requirements and not count against time limits, because the activity is building employment credentials and capacities.