One question that many scholars are having trouble finding just one fix-it answer to is why are the poor getting poorer? This question lays on the minds of many politicians, educators, social workers, and the poor themselves. How are we going to stop this trend? I've found that through research in one area of distress, this problem seems to have no solution, and the trap keeps getting wider-with very little chance of escape. This area of concern is single mothers. I have looked at just a few areas of aide in a single mothers" life and I will point out some of the reasons why this social class is barely getting by. By looking at the statistics of single mothers on welfare and the some barriers that many women are facing along with the battle for child support from the fathers, I will show why this seems like a never-ending problem for our economy. Growing up in a single parent household and battling for child support, I will state some not so obvious facts about what these children are facing as a result of this struggle to survive.
One of the problems with receiving welfare is the struggle to move on and get off of it. Welfare as defined is an insurance designed for families and individuals who by no fault of their own are unable to work and support themselves. This seems like an easy concept; you only need welfare if you can't work. But that's not the case. The requirements to receive welfare are vast and somewhat restrictive, so many mothers who are undeniably poor and in need of assistance, can't qualify because they work and are supposed to be receiving child support. Herein lays the problem. What if the father isn't paying? And what if your job is a minimum wage job, or part-time. Many of the times, these reasons drive mothers to stop working in order to receive welfare benefits. To some this may not make any sense at all. Why quit a job to go on welfare? Child care is one reason.