Mandatory Work Registration for Welfare Parents: A Family Impact Analysis

Abstract

The purpose of this paper was to examine the impact of the AFDC mandatory work registration policy on AFDC clients and their families using data from telephone interviews with 102 welfare clients from Milwaukee and LaCrosse counties in Wisconsin. The data suggested that, while the majority of clients reported that the policy had no effect on them individually or on their families, 19% reported positive and 28% negative individual effects; 5% reported positive and 24% negative family effects. Positive impacts included increased income and improved selfimage; negative effects centered on difficulties with child care and related family problems. Discriminant analyses were used to explore the extent to which impact could be predicted on the basis of certain personal and family variables, and results are discussed in terms of the vulnerability of these families to external stress. The need for selective application of this policy is demonstrated, and implications for program and policy changes are discussed.