More than Money? Job Quality and Food Insecurity among Employed Lone Mother Households in the United States

Amanda Sheely

doi:10.1017/s1474746421000877

Abstract

This article examines the relationship between food insecurity and the uncertainty and inadequate financial resources associated with low quality work among lone mother households in the United States. Food insecurity has increased since the start of the Great Recession and is particularly high among lone mother households. Using data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation, I find that mothers who have been employed part-time involuntarily and experienced job loss have an increased likelihood of experiencing food insecurity. This relationship holds even after controlling for multiple measures of household income, suggesting the relationship between low quality work and food insecurity is not solely determined by low financial resources. Results suggest that, to reduce food insecurity among lone mother families, policymakers must address both the low wages and uncertainty associated with low quality employment.

Highlights

Food insecurity is one of the most pressing public health issues in high-income countries (Loopstra and Tarasuk, 2013), including the U.S (Gundersen et al, 2011)
This study focuses on lone mother families to better understand the ways that low quality work may lead to food insecurity for this vulnerable group
The primary purpose of this article is to test whether food insecurity among lone mother households is related to the uncertainty associated with low quality work

Summary

Introduction

Food insecurity is one of the most pressing public health issues in high-income countries (Loopstra and Tarasuk, 2013), including the U.S (Gundersen et al, 2011). In the U.S in 2019, over one in four lone mother households experienced food insecurity (Coleman-Jensen et al, 2020). Kalleberg (2011) asserts that, since the 1970s, employment in the U.S has become increasingly polarised with more highly-educated workers being rewarded with ‘good jobs,’ while workers with less education and skills are allocated to ‘bad jobs.’ These low quality jobs pay low wages, do not provide fringe benefits, are inflexible in work activities, and do not allow workers time to deal with non-work issues. Women are more likely than men to work multiple jobs simultaneously, especially women who have been widowed, divorced or separated (Hipple, 2010). There is mounting evidence, especially in a European context that, even compared to part-time work generally, involuntary part-time work is associated with problematic living standards (Horemans et al, 2016)

Objectives

Methods

Results