Sunday, July 18, 2010
Social Welfare
Welfare reform should be considered a feminist issue because the majority of those in poverty are single women. These women are faced with serious issues such as not having a partner for financial or emotional support, having limited jobs because of their gender, and providing childcare if they do find work. TANF (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families) tries to improve this problem through many tactics, one of which is to encourage marriage. I don’t think that anyone, even the government, should force marriage onto anyone. Chances are, if these people are already in impoverished situations, the last thing they probably have on their minds. Day to day survival is what should be on their minds and gradually swimming out of that deep pool of troubles they are entrenched in. This is why I don’t believe TANF’s policy of no cash entitlements. I think that people need a little cash to get themselves going, but of course this should be put on a time limit so that dependence, or taking advantage of the system and being lazy, doesn’t occur. Lastly and most importantly in my opinion, people on welfare should not have to discuss intimately personal details of their life because it is a violation of human rights. However, if it is something important that affects the safety of their children, it is another story.
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I agree, no one needs to be pushed into marriage. They should want to get married for the right reasons and not just to get money. I also agree with you, some people do need a little cash to get moving but others take advantage of it and don’t even try to look for jobs. They know they will get money from the government and everything will be fine.
ReplyDeleteI agree. Welfare is definitely a feminist issue because, like you said, it affects mostly single mothers. Forcing someone to marry because of their financial troubles could be more of a tragedy than if they remained single. Depending on their situation they may go for the first guy that they believe would take care of them, which could possibly end in abuse because the woman is not looking for a respectable person. I also agree that help should be given to a certain extent. A lot of people take advantage of the system but if there is a time limit or some type of law with restrictions then maybe more people would appreciate the help they are given. I also agree that intimate information should remain private. Some personal information may need to be revealed to determine the person’s situation, but I do not believe that intimate information is necessary.
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