Both Hands Tied : Welfare Reform and the Race to the Bottom in the Low-Wage Labor Market

__Both Hands Tied__ studies the working poor in the United States, focusing in particular on the relation between welfare and low-wage earnings among working mothers. Grounded in the experience of thirty-three women living in Milwaukee and Racine, Wisconsin, it tells the story of their struggle to balance child care and wage-earning in poorly paying and often state-funded jobs with inflexible schedules—and the moments when these jobs failed them and they turned to the state for additional aid. Jane L. Collins and Victoria Mayer here examine the situations of these women in light of the 1996 national Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act and other like-minded reforms—laws that ended the entitlement to welfare for those in need and provided an incentive for them to return to work. Arguing that this reform came at a time of gendered change in the labor force and profound shifts in the responsibilities of family, firms, and the state, __Both Hands Tied__ provides a stark but poignant portrait of how welfare reform afflicted poor, single-parent families, ultimately eroding the participants’ economic rights and affecting their ability to care for themselves and their children.

Both Hands Tied studies the working poor in the United States, focusing in particular on the relation between welfare and low-wage earnings among working mothers. Grounded in the experience of thirty-three women living in Milwaukee and Racine, Wisconsin, it tells the story of their struggle to balance child care and wage-earning in poorly paying and often state-funded jobs with inflexible schedules—and the moments when these jobs failed them and they turned to the state for additional aid.

 

Jane L. Collins and Victoria Mayer here examine the situations of these women in light of the 1996 national Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act and other like-minded reforms—laws that ended the entitlement to welfare for those in need and provided an incentive for them to return to work. Arguing that this reform came at a time of gendered change in the labor force and profound shifts in the responsibilities of family, firms, and the state, Both Hands Tied provides a stark but poignant portrait of how welfare reform afflicted poor, single-parent families, ultimately eroding the participants’ economic rights and affecting their ability to care for themselves and their children.

This Book Studies The Working Poor In The United States, Focusing In Particular On The Relation Between Welfare And Low-wage Earnings Among Working Mothers. Grounded In The Experience Of Thirty-three Women Living In Milwaukee And Racine, Wisconsin, It Tells The Story Of Their Struggle To Balance Child Care And Wage-earning In Poorly Paying And Often State-funded Jobs With Inflexible Schedules And The Moments When These Jobs Failed Them And They Turned To The State For Additional Aid. The Authors Here Examine The Situations Of These Women In Light Of The 1996 Nation. Introduction : The Connection Between Welfare And Work -- Welfare Reform's Context : The Growth Of The Low-wage Service Sector -- Welfare Reform's Content : Building Connections Between Work And Welfare -- Tying The First Hand : The Solitary Wage Bargain -- Tying The Second Hand : Challenges To Economic Citizenship -- Both Hands Tied : The Race To The Bottom In The Low-wage Labor Market -- Untied Hands : A New Vision Of Economic Citizenship. Jane L. Collins And Victoria Mayer. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 201-213) And Index. Contents 6 List of Illustrations 7 Acknowledgments 8 Preface 10 1 Introduction: The Connection between Welfare and Work 16 2 Welfare Reform’s Context: The Growth of the Low-Wage Service Sector 41 3 Welfare Reform’s Content: Building Connections between Work and Welfare 70 4 Tying the First Hand: The Solitary Wage Bargain 104 5 Tying the Second Hand: Challenges to Economic Citizenship 135 6 Both Hands Tied: The Race to the Bottom in the Low-Wage Labor Market 168 7 Conclusion: Untying the Hands 6 Appendix A. Description of Interview Process 186 Appendix B. Interview Protocol 188 Appendix C. Economic Composition of Sample 195 Appendix D. Industrial Composition of Milwaukee and Racine 196 Appendix E. Wisconsin Works (W-2) Documents 198 Notes 200 References 222 Index 236 Studies the working poor in the United States, focusing on the relation between welfare and low-wage earnings among working mothers. Grounded in the experience of thirty-three women living in Milwaukee and Racine, Wisconsin, this title tells the story of their struggle to balance child care and wage-earning in poorly paying jobs.