Pitied but Not Entitled: Single Mothers and the History of Welfare

Rating:
Summary: the beginnings of American welfare
Review: Gordon weaves a cohesive tale about the origins of our modern welfare state, beginning with the reform-minded settlement house women and their work to represent and help the single mother. Maternalism, Gordon argues, is a concept central to their work, and the concept remains today in the "welfare" (needs-based) portion of welfare (as opposed to the parts we think of as entitlements, like social security pensions for the retired and public education). Maternalism is the idea that we (society) have an obligation, like a mother to needy, to lift the underclass out of their moral, as well as financial and physical, problems. This brought the ideas of "means-testing" and "morals-testing" as conditions for financial aid to welfare recipients, and despite the good intentions, has led to the further stigmatization of welfare recipients.

This book omits many of the connections between the social work of the central characters and other social movements going on at the time (i.e., birth control, eugenics, health and sanitation reform), but such focus pays off, making the book somewhat relevant to modern discussions of welfare and welfare reform. Gordon also has a slightly unconventional writing style, with long paragraphs and extended arguments, which makes the book very difficult to skim.