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Moving Up, Moving Out, or Going Nowhere? A Study of the Employment Patterns of Young Women and the Implications for Welfare Mothers

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  • LaDonna Pavetti

    (Mathematica Policy Research, Washington, DC)

  • Gregory Acs

    (The Urban Institute, Washington, DC)

Abstract

Conventional wisdom holds that women on welfare will be better off in the long run if they take a job, even if it means initially having less money to spend on their and their children's needs. Underlying this thinking is the belief that women who take low-paying jobs will eventually move up to higher paying jobs either with their current employer or by changing employers. This paper examines the employment transitions of young women focusing on the likelihood that women who turn to the welfare system for support will make the transition from low-paying to high-paying jobs. The data are drawn from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY). Based on the experiences of women who never received welfare, an estimated one-quarter of young women who received welfare could be firmly established in jobs paying more than $9.50 an hour by ages 26 and 27. An additional 40 percent would work steadily but in low-paying jobs, and more than one-third would work only sporadically. © 2001 by the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management.

Suggested Citation

  • LaDonna Pavetti & Gregory Acs, 2001. "Moving Up, Moving Out, or Going Nowhere? A Study of the Employment Patterns of Young Women and the Implications for Welfare Mothers," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 20(4), pages 721-736.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:jpamgt:v:20:y:2001:i:4:p:721-736
    DOI: 10.1002/pam.1025
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Tricia Lynn Gladden & Christopher R. Taber, 1999. "Wage Progression Among Less Skilled Workers," JCPR Working Papers 72, Northwestern University/University of Chicago Joint Center for Poverty Research.
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    Cited by:

    1. Wu, Chi-Fang & Eamon, Mary Keegan, 2011. "Patterns and correlates of involuntary unemployment and underemployment in single-mother families," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 33(6), pages 820-828, June.
    2. Carolyn J. Heinrich & Rachel Gordon, 2002. "Is a Family-focused Program More Effective in Helping Low-Income Parents Enter the Workforce? Insights from a Multimethod Evaluation of the Jobs for Youth/Full Family Partnership Demonstration," JCPR Working Papers 271, Northwestern University/University of Chicago Joint Center for Poverty Research.
    3. Colleen K. Chrisinger, 2013. "Earnings Progression and the Workforce Investment Act: Evidence from Washington State," Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 52(4), pages 853-877, October.
    4. Susan Gooden, 2004. "Examining the implementation of welfare reform by race: Do blacks, hispanics and whites report similar experiences with welfare agencies?," The Review of Black Political Economy, Springer;National Economic Association, vol. 32(2), pages 27-53, December.
    5. Hélène Périvier, 2008. "Les femmes sur le marché du travail aux Etats-Unis," Sciences Po publications 2008-12, Sciences Po.
    6. Geoffrey L. Wallace & Robert Haveman, 2007. "The implications of differences between employer and worker employment|earnings reports for policy evaluation," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 26(4), pages 737-754.
    7. Herbst, Chris M. & Tekin, Erdal, 2011. "Do child care subsidies influence single mothers' decision to invest in human capital?," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 30(5), pages 901-912, October.
    8. repec:pri:crcwel:wp01-25-gibson is not listed on IDEAS
    9. Hélène Périvier, 2008. "Les femmes sur le marché du travail aux Etats-Unis," SciencePo Working papers Main hal-00973039, HAL.
    10. repec:spo:wpecon:info:hdl:2441/6142 is not listed on IDEAS
    11. Gennetian, Lisa A. & Hill, Heather D. & London, Andrew S. & Lopoo, Leonard M., 2010. "Maternal employment and the health of low-income young children," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 29(3), pages 353-363, May.
    12. Hélène Périvier, 2009. "Les femmes sur le marché du travail aux États-Unis," SciencePo Working papers Main hal-02081114, HAL.
    13. repec:hal:spmain:info:hdl:2441/eu4vqp9ompqllr09hahqp4sa4 is not listed on IDEAS
    14. Carolyn J. Heinrich & Peter R. Mueser & Kenneth R. Troske, 2005. "Welfare to Temporary Work: Implications for Labor Market Outcomes," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 87(1), pages 154-173, February.
    15. repec:pri:crcwel:wp08-05-ff is not listed on IDEAS
    16. repec:hal:wpspec:info:hdl:2441/6142 is not listed on IDEAS
    17. Rebecca M. Ryan & Ariel Kalil & Lindsey J. Leininger, 2008. "Unwed Mothers' Private Safety Nets and Children's Socioemotional Wellbeing," Working Papers 1017, Princeton University, School of Public and International Affairs, Center for Research on Child Wellbeing..
    18. Hélène Périvier, 2009. "Les femmes sur le marché du travail aux États-Unis. Évolutions mises en perspective avec celles de la France et de la Suède," Revue de l'OFCE, Presses de Sciences-Po, vol. 0(1), pages 49-84.
    19. repec:hal:spmain:info:hdl:2441/6142 is not listed on IDEAS
    20. Christina Gibson, 2001. "Privileging the Participant: The Importance of Take-Up Rates In Social Welfare Evaluations," Working Papers 968, Princeton University, School of Public and International Affairs, Center for Research on Child Wellbeing..
    21. Sarah Hamersma & Carolyn Heinrich, 2008. "Temporary Help Service Firms' Use of Employer Tax Credits: Implications for Disadvantaged Workers' Labor Market Outcomes," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 74(4), pages 1123-1148, April.
    22. Susan Tinsley Gooden, 2004. "Examining the implementation of welfare reform by race: Do blacks, hispanics and whites report similar experiences with welfare agencies?," The Review of Black Political Economy, Springer;National Economic Association, vol. 32(2), pages 27-53, December.
    23. Sattler, Leslie J. & Thomas, Kristie A., 2016. "“Parents need a village”: Caseworkers' perceptions of the challenges faced by single parents of system-involved youth," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 293-301.
    24. Osborne, Cynthia & Knab, Jean, 2007. "Work, welfare, and young children's health and behavior in the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 29(6), pages 762-781, June.
    25. Wu, Chi-Fang, 2011. "Long-term employment and earnings among low-income families with children," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 33(1), pages 91-101, January.

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