Intersections of Welfare and Child Welfare Systems and Single Mothers' Activism in the U.S.

Simple item page
dc.contributor.advisorGazso, Amber M.
dc.creatorNakagawa, Shihoko
dc.date.accessioned2017-07-27T13:43:59Z
dc.date.available2017-07-27T13:43:59Z
dc.date.copyright2017-03-24
dc.date.issued2017-07-27
dc.date.updated2017-07-27T13:43:58Z
dc.degree.disciplineWomens Studies
dc.degree.levelDoctoral
dc.degree.namePhD - Doctor of Philosophy
dc.description.abstractThis study examines the lived experiences of single mothers involved with child welfare services and mothers activism against child welfare services, in order to more deeply understand the intersections between and meanings of the welfare and child welfare systems in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in the U.S. This study had two research questions: 1) how have the material and symbolic dimensions of change worked together in shaping the post-1990 restructuring of both areas of welfare services? And 2) how have mothers responded to these reforms? Specifically, what is the nature of mothers activisms against child welfare services given post-1990 welfare restructuring? This study used a theoretical framework that draws on scholarly understandings of governance, feminist theorizing of policy change, and anti-racist feminism and decolonizing theory. This qualitative study employed a mix of data collection and analysis strategies. The primary data was collected through in-depth, faceto-face semi-structured interviews with 16 study participants, who were parents (mostly mothers) involved with child welfare services and/or activism and their advocates. My analysis of the interviews was directed by strategies of critical discourse analysis and narrative analysis, based on feminist standpoint epistemology. The findings of this study reveal that the combination of two systems after welfare reform created the material and symbolic conditions that blame and punish single mothers for having children without resources. Enacting a neoliberal gender order that expects that women assume social reproduction privately, children can be removed from single mothers when they cannot uphold this expectation. This study also found that mothers activism against child welfare services showed their feminist struggle to demand welfare rights as social and economic justice. This study highlighted that patriarchal gender orders have been institutionalized through the implementation of social welfare policy, and mothers have organized activism to challenge such gender orders.
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10315/33566
dc.language.isoen
dc.rightsAuthor owns copyright, except where explicitly noted. Please contact the author directly with licensing requests.
dc.subjectPublic policy
dc.subject.keywordsWomen
dc.subject.keywordsGender
dc.subject.keywordsFeminism
dc.subject.keywordsSexism
dc.subject.keywordsPatriarchy
dc.subject.keywordsRacism
dc.subject.keywordsClassism
dc.subject.keywordsIntersections of welfare and child welfare systems
dc.subject.keywordsTwo systems
dc.subject.keywordsMothers
dc.subject.keywordsSingle mothers
dc.subject.keywordsMothers in poverty
dc.subject.keywordsMothering
dc.subject.keywordsMotherhood
dc.subject.keywordsSingle motherhood
dc.subject.keywordsMother-blame
dc.subject.keywordsActivist-mothering
dc.subject.keywordsPoverty
dc.subject.keywordsGovernance
dc.subject.keywordsPoverty governance
dc.subject.keywordsPoverty pimps
dc.subject.keywordsWelfare
dc.subject.keywordsChild welfare
dc.subject.keywordsChild protective services
dc.subject.keywordsCPS
dc.subject.keywordsWelfare system
dc.subject.keywordsChild welfare system
dc.subject.keywordsWelfare services
dc.subject.keywordsChild welfare services
dc.subject.keywordsThe U.S.
dc.subject.keywordsUnited States
dc.subject.keywordsWisconsin
dc.subject.keywordsMilwaukee
dc.subject.keywordsWelfare Warriors
dc.subject.keywordsNeoliberalism
dc.subject.keywordsSocial movements
dc.subject.keywordsActivism
dc.subject.keywordsMothers' activism
dc.subject.keywordssingle mothers' activism
dc.subject.keywordsSocial welfare policy
dc.subject.keywordsPublic policy
dc.subject.keywordsWelfare reform
dc.subject.keywordsWelfare restructuring
dc.subject.keywordsWelfare rights
dc.subject.keywordsWelfare rights movement
dc.subject.keywordsWomen's rights
dc.subject.keywordsWelfare activism
dc.subject.keywordsSocial reproduction
dc.subject.keywordsReproductive justice
dc.subject.keywordsDecolonizing
dc.subject.keywordsAnti-racism
dc.subject.keywordsAdoption and Safe Families Act
dc.subject.keywordsASFA
dc.subject.keywordsPersonal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act
dc.subject.keywordsPRWORA
dc.subject.keywordsWisconsin Works
dc.subject.keywordsW-2
dc.subject.keywordsTemporary Assistance for Needy Families
dc.subject.keywordsTANF
dc.subject.keywordsNarrative analysis
dc.subject.keywordsDiscourse analysis
dc.subject.keywordsFeminist standpoint epistemology
dc.subject.keywordsPrivatization
dc.subject.keywordsDisciplining
dc.subject.keywordsThe underclass
dc.subject.keywordsWorkfare
dc.subject.keywordsNeglect
dc.subject.keywordsRisk assessment
dc.titleIntersections of Welfare and Child Welfare Systems and Single Mothers' Activism in the U.S.
dc.typeElectronic Thesis or Dissertation

Files

Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
Nakagawa_Shihoko_2017_Phd.pdf
Size:
1.65 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Download
License bundle
Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
No Thumbnail Available
Name:
license.txt
Size:
1.83 KB
Format:
Plain Text
Description:
Download
No Thumbnail Available
Name:
YorkU_ETDlicense.txt
Size:
3.38 KB
Format:
Plain Text
Description:
Download

Collections

Women's Studies

All items in the YorkSpace institutional repository are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved except where explicitly noted.