Targeting, Universalism, and Single-Mother Poverty: A Multilevel Analysis across 18 Affluent Democracies
The article investigates the role of individual factors and targeted universal social policy that addresses the poverty of single mothers. Multilevel analysis is incorporated in the research where the investigation was conducted across 18 prosperous Western democracies. The women, who participated in the study, aged 18-54, were neither living with a spouse nor married. All of them had children. The researchers discovered that both social policy and individual characteristics define the poverty of single mothers. From the analysis, single mothers getting financial support from other adults within the household are not necessarily poor. The other conclusion is that targeted social policy is less effective compared to social policy.
The results of the study are not new at all. Single mothers with children are poor compared to their married counterparts. Single mothers find it difficult to raise children because of financial constraints arising from only one source of income. If there is a secondary source of income for any single mother, then the expenses of the house reduce increased income. Conducting a study to show that comprehensive, generous, and universal welfare states reduce the poverty of single mothers is giving proof of the same, but not issuing new information.
The article is well written. The research is adequate and comprehensively conducted. Research whose sample space spans 18 affluent Western countries is a thorough one. The use of both qualitative and quantitative analysis contributes to the worth of this article. Statistical methods have been used to analyze the data while conducting the research. Statistical methods ensure that the results of the research are accurate. In summary, this research is conducted on a professional level, making it a scholarly source for future reference.
Following Families: Working Lone-Mother Families and their Children
The article investigates the experiences of single mothers and their children as they seek financial security. It aims to provide an understanding of the way circumstances of families and factors of the labor market combine with time to develop certain poverty outcomes. The sample spaces used for the research included fifty single mothers and their children residing in the United Kingdom. There were a total of 61 children. The single mothers studied in the research had left income support and were working sixteen hours per week. The researchers noticed that within two years, the lone mother’s employment was incorporated to become part of the whole family’s life. The mothers were able to continue employment, though they kept changing the work environment.
The conclusions of the research are new and surprising. What makes it new and surprising is the fact that the mother’s employment is part of the family life as a whole. Everything about the mother’s job defined the course of the family. It is obvious single mothers experience hardship trying to provide for their children. The author summarizes by saying policies regarding single mothers should be enacted with caution because their issues are very sensitive.
The results of the study are clear and understandable but the research is not convincing. The author used qualitative methods of analysis, which is fine, but not enough to give evidence to the claims. Thorough quantitative methods would have made this research better. The researchers should have gathered data by conducting interviews and interacting with the respondents on a personal level. They primarily used secondary documented data which may not reflect the actual situation. A thorough analysis would have made this research article more convincing.
Time Binds: US Antipoverty Policies, Poverty, and the Well-being of Single Mothers
This research article investigates the way the United States’ anti-poverty programs and policies assume that single mothers have enough time to look after their children, do their house chores, and engage in the government programs. The author wants to show that single mothers have more on their hands than the United States government assumes in their policies. The anti-poverty programs and policies used when conducting this research are those outlined in the Social Security Act of 1935. Other anti-poverty programs discussed were formed before 1971, and are still in effect. These are scrutinized against the situation of single mothers residing in the United States of America. The researchers determined that employed mothers spend little time with their children, and have almost no time for house chores.
The outcome of the research is not news at all. Single mothers in the United States work for many hours in two or 3 jobs within twenty-four hours. They lack adequate time to oversee the running of the family and performing their house chores. This information is already in the public domain. The thing that is interesting about the research is the identification of specific policies and programs that assume that single mothers have enough time to juggle everything at once.
The research is not well conducted. The researchers would have done a better job if they would have taken a different approach. They have used qualitative methods by integrating literature from various articles. An accurate outcome would have been achieved in this research by conducting further research. The outcome of the research is useful to policymakers. They need to look into policies regarding single mothers with the knowledge that they lack adequate time.
References
Brady, D. & Burroway, R. (2012). Targeting, Universalism, and Single-Mother Poverty: A Multilevel Analysis across 18 Affluent Democracies. Demography, 49(1), 719-746.
Ridge, T. & Miller J. (2011). Following Families: Working Lone-Mother Families and their Children. Social Policy & Administration, 45(1), 85-97.
Albelda, R. (2011). Time Binds: US Antipoverty Policies, Poverty, and the Well-being of Single Mothers. Feminist Economics, 17(4), 189-214.