Faces of poverty : portraits of women and children on welfare /

Berrick's informative report on poverty is actually more than the title implies. In addition to providing richly detailed explanations of five women's lives, describing how they became welfare dependent, and what later became of them, the book offers very readable summaries of macro stratification research. Because of the effective mixture of aggregate and individual data, the relevance of welfare policy debates for the personal choices "welfare mothers" must make is magnified and illustrated through compelling biography. As a counter to much of the public's antagonism about AFDC payments in particular, Berrick documents how essential the program has been as a path to recovery from personal economic catastrophe. Five chapters that are distinctive case studies are sandwiched between an introduction to the myths and realities of welfare at the beginning and a concluding assessment of assorted proposals for policy reform at the end. Because the policy options are evaluated in the context of real women's struggles instead of hypothetical women's motives, they have a pragmatic appeal that should interest readers regardless of political affiliation. All levels. R. Zingraff Meredith College

Battling media stereotypes of welfare recipients as lazy, scheming ``welfare queens,'' Berrick, Director of the Center for Research on Public Social Services at the School of Social Welfare at the University of California, Berkeley, provides probing profiles of five typical welfare mothers. The slide into welfare may be triggered by misfortune, such as a workplace injury, or it may seem the inexorable result of a life stuck in a web of misfortune. Many welfare recipients, the author observes, work off the books to augment their meager stipends, as each increment of reported income decreases their checks. Since women on welfare are a diverse lot, some needing a boost, others much more help, Berrick warns that any universal reform will fail. She concludes with a tart critique of various welfare reform proposals such as time limits and caps on family grants. ``Welfare is only part of the dilemma,'' warns Berrick, noting that poverty policy is linked to issues like raising the minimum wage and providing child care and health coverage. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

An absorbing, solidly documented study of America's welfare system and the circumstances of five women and their children who are dependent upon it. Berrick (director of the Center for Research on Public Social Services at the School of Social Welfare at the University of California at Berkeley) focuses on five diverse families in her attempt to dispel stereotypical myths of welfare mothers. Too many Americans, contends Berrick, perceive welfare recipients as lazy, irresponsible, and conniving. Budget-cutting politicians, moreover, are quick to offer simple economic solutions to complex social problems. Three of the women portrayed here have temporarily fallen through the cracks and need some assistance to get back on their feet. The other two, products of highly unstable backgrounds, are not likely to walk even with society's crutches. Berrick is clearly sympathetic to the full range of her subjects. She argues that ``none of the women depicted here wanted to be on welfare, and few of them expected to use it for a long time.'' Long-term welfare users, comprised mainly of high school dropouts and women of color, are the exception rather than the rule. Berrick's statistics illustrate how welfare alone does not lift a family above the poverty level, and she elucidates how the system encourages mothers to cheat in order to make ends meet. The author feels that many condescending welfare officials also evoke hostility, and she is extremely critical of welfare workers, whom she describes as ``notoriously rude and unhelpful.'' One theme that emerges, though not addressed by Berrick, is these women's poor choices of matesmen who are mostly irresponsible and abusive alcoholics or drug addicts. A passionate, perceptive assessment of a complex and timely issue.