The Effect of Welfare Women's Working on Their Families, 1969-1972

This study was designed to study low-income mothers and their work, particularly how employment affects home and personal life and in what ways, if any, current family structure is a barrier to employment. The sample was drawn from current and closed (6 months to 3 years) New York state welfare lists. In the first wave (1969-1970), women who had at least one teenage child and lived in a small to medium-sized town, took part in interviews. Topics covered in the extensive first wave interview included basic family and demographic information, employment history, attitudes toward child rearing and day care, satisfaction, and aspirations. One year later, a follow-up questionnaire was completed by approximately 88% of the original sample. This self-administered questionnaire included items on religion, job search activities, health, support systems, and welfare history. A short, third wave questionnaire was mailed to a subsample of respondents in 1971 and 1972. Items examined included husband's background, self-assessment as a homemaker, husband's work, and role conflicts. Third wave data are available for 100 women. The Murray Archive holds additional analogue materials for this study (paper data from each of the three waves of data collection). If you would like to access this material, please apply to use the data.