Welfare reform should be considered a feminist issue because many times the people who are on welfare are single moms with one or more children. It is not just trying to help people out of poverty, but you have to look at the reasons why they are in these situations. I do not believe that encouraging marriage will help poor women's economic status. I believe that most poor, single women know that if they could find a man to marry who they loved and would help them economically they would definitely want to do that. However, marrying just to get ahead in life is something that no woman ever wants to encounter. This could be a feminist topic in itself.
Women need to stand up and take responsibility for themselves and their children, without the help of a man if they choose so. Being forced into a marriage would probably cause many more problems than it would help. Domestic violence would be evident if the couple didn't respect each other. I also don't believe in the idea that we need to find the biological fathers of these poor children. Obviously if the fathers aren't in the picture, the mother doesn't see him as good enough to help raise the children; and this judgment should not be questioned.
I also don't think that women should be obligated to discuss their private lives with state representatives. It is already embarrassing enough for them that they need to discuss the prospect of being on welfare, but being questioned about their sex life is taking away the basic human life of privacy. Many times the women probably don't even know who the father is. I don't see any worthwhile gain that can come of a conversation like this.
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I think you are completely right about women not wanting to marry to get ahead. I think in today's society, women are - as you mentioned - a lot more independent and self-sufficient. I think that's why for most of these single women, they are embarassed to ask for money from the government in order to help them survive. If they were able to balance the role of mother and worker sufficiently, I am certain that they would have no problems succeeding.
ReplyDeleteAs you mentioned, however, the government needs to look at the reasons why these women are in these situations. Sometimes it is just as simple as these women not being able to be hired because of racism or because employers do not think they are qualified enough for the job.
Also, it really doesn't help that employers think of women even more negatively when they learn that they are on welfare. That just proves to be an even bigger obstacle.
This was a really good post, and I completely agree with it!