Women and children: social contexts and challenges

Women and Children

Research and examine the history of social welfare policy as it pertains to this population, discussing their specific needs from a social welfare program.

The history of social welfare policy with respect to women and children began in the late 1800s, when laws were passed to protect child orphans from placement in "mixed almshouses"; by 1900 the foster care system was partially in place (Bortz, 1980). Other laws in the 20th century protected children from abuse, neglect, and hazardous occupations, and enforced minimum age and maximum working hours requirements (Bortz, 1980). As for women, initial legislation was slow to progress and didn't even exist until the turn of the century. After 1900, legislation to protect women aimed to safeguard them from industry abuses such as excessive hours, night work, and protection regardless of occupation (Bortz, 1980). The mother's pension movement in the early 1900s provided "cash payments to widows with young children to enable them to care for their children in their own homes, and sometimes called widow's pensions, mother's aid and mother's allowances and in our own day aid to dependent children - was part of the Progressive era in its awareness of the environmental origin of poverty and the necessity for State intervention to insure social and economic justice. It also had roots in the organized social insurance movement, which embodied the principle of public income guarantees" (Bortz, 1980).

Social Security was instated in 1935 and included Aid to Dependent Children (ADC). Since then, ADC has changed to Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) (Bortz, 1980)

It is widely accepted that women in America are oppressed and discriminated against, particularly women who are poor and/or belonging to a racial minority. On top of that, the social welfare issues that women can face are many. Some issues involving women (and directly or indirectly children) include: pay equity, parental and maternity leave, health care, birth control/contraception, prenatal care and medical care for children, child care, violence and abuse, desertion by fathers, mental illness, disability, children with disabilities, income assistance, nutrition, housing, child support, and education. Since children are directly affected by the welfare of their mothers, welfare of children is directly related to many of the laws, policies, and practices applicable to women.

Identify the laws that have been passed and programs put into place that have either helped or restricted women and children's access to care and support.

Over the years, women and children have benefited from programs such as the YWCA for transitional housing, TANF (formerly AFDC) for single-parent assistance, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Food Stamps) for low-income families and individuals, and the Earned Income Tax Credit for "low-income families with children under 18" (Hanratty, 1994). In 2003, the Keeping Children and Families Safe Act improved: practices to prevent child abuse and neglect, child protective services, and "community-based prevention efforts" (U.S. Congress, 2003). In addition, the 2003 Act reauthorized the "Adoption Opportunities Act, Abandoned Infants Assistance Act and the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act" (U.S. Congress, 2003).

Public childcare is offered via a Social Services Block Grant Program that offers states lump sums to spend on child care and "other social services," the Head Start Program which prepares low-income children for kindergarten, and the dependent care tax credit (Hanratty, 1994).

Other laws benefiting women and children are the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, which provides coverage for pregnancy-related disabilities, and employer-provided maternity leave (Hanratty, 1994). In addition, the Promoting Safe and Stable Families Amendments of 2001 included provisions for post-adoption and substance abuse services, abandoned infants assistance, and improved coverage for abused children or those in foster care (Antonopoulos, 2010; USDOJ, 2011). Finally, WIC is the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (ohio.gov, 2011). WIC offers programs to ensure adequate nutrition for low-income women and infants, during and after pregnancy (ohio.gov, 2011). WIC also offers referrals for "prenatal and pediatric" health care through Medicaid (ohio.gov, 2011

Identify the philosophical attitudes and perspectives that have led to either the support or lack of understanding for and marginalizing of this group.

Women have faced many challenges that do not generally apply to men, including violence and abuse, low relative wages, unequal opportunities in the workplace, insufficient prenatal and general health care, and a lack of emotional and financial support for single-parenting. Progress along these lines has sometimes been slow due to discriminatory attitudes against: women in general (sexism, or objectification leads to abuse), women in the workplace, women who have children when unmarried, birth control and abortion, and low-income women.

In addition, some critics claim that both liberalism and conservatism can be hurtful to women and children:

"Liberalism approaches people as individuals and is leery of any policies, but especially those with government money attached, that seek to advantage people because of their membership of a group. As a result, liberalism tends to oppose affirmative action program, government largesse for maternity leave, childcare and parenting. Conservatives tend to be supportive of policies that help women as mothers, but much less so of policies that help women in any other role. Conservatives and liberals agree on their opposition to affirmative action in any form and neither group is likely to push for government funding of childcare either-conservatives because it helps women work and liberals because it is yet another government program targeted at special interests." (Staley, 2008)