CHAPTER 1
Figure 1.2 Employment Among Single Mothers Increased Substantially During the Early Years of
Welfare Reform, But Many of Those Early Gains Have Been Lost
100%
Some college or more
80
High school only
60
40
Less than high school
54%
54%
20
0
’91 ’92 ’93 ’94 ’95 ’96 ’97 ’98 ’99 ’00 ’01 ’02 ’03 ’04 ’05 ’06 ’07 ’08 ’09 ’10
Source: Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (2012).
Another reason low-income single mothers did well in the late 1990s is that full employment mitigates the effects of discrimination in the labor market. Anecdotal evidence indicates that employers who admitted they would be hesitant to hire welfare recipients in a
labor market that was not as tight hired them anyway—and found them to be just as capable
as other workers.13 Full employment, with its pressure not to discriminate, meant large
gains for African Americans as well. During the late 1990s, the median income of African
American families grew faster than at any other point, including during the Civil Rights
era.14
The extraordinary progress that low-income families
“Those who stand to
achieved during the late 1990s did not last wh ?????????????)???????????????)??????????????????????5????????????9????????????)??????????????)???????Q??????????????????????????????? ???)????????????I?????????????????????????????????????)??)???????????????(????!????????????????????????????????????)?????????????????)?????????????????????????????????????????%?)?????????t)??????????????????????????????????????????)????????????????????????????????????????????)Q??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????(???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????e?????????Q??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????)???????Q??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????()??????????????????? (+? ?????!????I????? ???()?((0