Work, Income and Material Hardship after Welfare Reform

A key goal of the 1996 welfare reform is for recipients to establish stable, long-term work patterns under the assumption that regular involvement in work will eventually improve their well-being. Past research provides little information about the determinants of employment over time for women who were welfare recipients, either pre- or post-PRWORA, and little information about how work affects their economic well-being. The research on which this paper is based addresses the following questions: To what extent does a sample of women who received cash assistance in early 1997 establish work attachment over time? How is the proportion of time worked over the 1997-98 period associated with income and poverty at the end of this period? How is the amount of time spent working associated with experiences of material hardship and subjective well-being?