Limit this search to....

Not Working: Latina Immigrants, Low-Wage Jobs, and the Failure of Welfare Reform
Contributor(s): Marchevsky, Alejandra (Author), Theoharis, Jeanne (Author)
ISBN: 081475709X     ISBN-13: 9780814757093
Publisher: New York University Press
OUR PRICE:   $88.11  
Product Type: Hardcover - Other Formats
Published: April 2006
Qty:
Annotation: View the Table of Contents .nbsp; nbsp; nbsp; Read the Introduction . "Original and insightful.Not Workingis a powerful book, connecting theories of the state, citizenship, and globalization with first rate ethnography. It is an instant classic and will remain the definitive book on immigrant women and welfare reform for some time." -- Pierrette Hondagneu-Sotelo, author ofDom?stica: Immigrant Workers Cleaning and Caring in the Shadows of Affluence "A smart, engaging, and groundbreaking study that exposes the racist underpinnings of welfare reform. A model of stellar scholarship and a must read for anyone seeking to understand poverty in relation to the meaning of American citizenship today." -- Arlene Davila, author ofBarrio Dreams: Puerto Ricans, Latinos, and the Neoliberal City "This highly significant contribution assures that Latina immigrants will no longer be invisible in scholarly research on welfare reform. This superb ethnography establishes a clear connection to the political, legal, and economic realities that is needed in reassessing the success stories of welfare reform. It should be read by all those concerned with social inequality, poverty, and justice in America." -- Mary Romero, author ofMaid in the U.S.A "Not Workingis an empirically rich and theoretically sophisticated study of welfare reform's deleterious effects on immigrant Latinas struggling to make a life for themselves and their children. This is an incredibly compelling ethnography." -- Sanford F. Schram, author ofAfter Welfare: The Culture of Postindustrial Social Policy Not Workingchronicles the devastating effects of the 1996 welfare reform legislation that ended welfare as we know it. For thosewho now receive public assistance, "work" means pleading with supervisors for full-time hours, juggling ever-changing work schedules, and shuffling between dead-end jobs that leave one physically and psychically exhausted. Through vivid story-telling and pointed analysis, Not Workingprofiles the day-to-day struggles of Mexican immigrant women in the Los Angeles area, showing the increased vulnerability they face in the welfare office and labor market. The new "work first" policies now enacted impose time limits and mandate work requirements for those receiving public assistance, yet fail to offer real job training or needed childcare options, ultimately causing many families to fall deeper below the poverty line. Not Workingshows that the new "welfare-to-work" regime has produced tremendous instability and insecurity for these women and their children. Moreover, the authors argue that the new politics of welfare enable greater infringements of rights and liberty for many of America's most vulnerable and constitute a crucial component of the broader assault on American citizenship. In short, the new welfare is not working.
Additional Information
BISAC Categories:
- Social Science | Emigration & Immigration
- Social Science | Women's Studies
- Social Science | Discrimination & Race Relations
Dewey: 362.584
LCCN: 2005029382
Physical Information: 0.93" H x 6.36" W x 8.98" (1.18 lbs) 308 pages
Themes:
- Ethnic Orientation - Latino
- Sex & Gender - Feminine
 
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc.
Publisher Description:

Not Working chronicles the devastating effects of the 1996 welfare reform legislation that ended welfare as we know it. For those who now receive public assistance, "work" means pleading with supervisors for full-time hours, juggling ever-changing work schedules, and shuffling between dead-end jobs that leave one physically and psychically exhausted.
Through vivid story-telling and pointed analysis, Not Working profiles the day-to-day struggles of Mexican immigrant women in the Los Angeles area, showing the increased vulnerability they face in the welfare office and labor market. The new "work first" policies now enacted impose time limits and mandate work requirements for those receiving public assistance, yet fail to offer real job training or needed childcare options, ultimately causing many families to fall deeper below the poverty line.
Not Working shows that the new "welfare-to-work" regime has produced tremendous instability and insecurity for these women and their children. Moreover, the authors argue that the new politics of welfare enable greater infringements of rights and liberty for many of America's most vulnerable and constitute a crucial component of the broader assault on American citizenship. In short, the new welfare is not working.

Contributor Bio(s): Marchevsky, Alejandra: -

Alejandra Marchevsky is associate professor of liberal studies at California State University, Los Angeles.

Theoharis, Jeanne: - Jeanne Theoharis is distinguished Professor of Political Science at Brooklyn College of CUNY. She is the author of numerous books and articles on the black freedom struggle, including the award-winning The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks (Beacon Press, 2013) and most recently A More Beautiful and Terrible History (Beacon Press, 2018).