Single moms escaping poverty

London expects her growing business to gross $100,000 over the next 12 months.

Now, with the slowdown in the US economy, experts say the prospects for her and other single mothers are uncertain.

"You have to hold your breath," said Douglas Besharov of American Enterprise Institute in Washington. "Generally the rule is 'last hired, first fired,' and that would put single mothers at the head of the line to be let go."

Still, overall gains did not falter in early 2001, according to recent Urban Institute data. The government safety net also includes unemployment insurance - a temporary bulwark against returning to welfare.

With many single moms still in or near poverty, debate persists over whether they and their children are really better off than before welfare reform.

By one study, increased earnings of low-income families were fully offset by a decline in the benefits that the government safety-net programs provide, suggesting that these families are no better off as a group.

"Welfare reform has really increased the number of working poor," says Wendell Primus of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities in Washington, which conducted the study. "One of the successes of welfare reform has been to increase the percentage of never-married women who are working. Unfortunately, we've also cut support, so that not nearly as many of them are getting out of poverty as should be."

Mr. Besharov says that while there are many more working poor, that's not necessarily a bad thing. While single mothers may not be better off immediately, he said, the long-term benefit is that they are building experience that will lead to better jobs.

One of the most important challenges for single mothers is balancing work and home life. Numerous studies show negative impacts on children whose mothers are pushed into the workforce. Child Trends, a Washington research organization, found that teenagers whose mothers participated in welfare-to-work programs appear to do worse in school and have more behavior problems than teens from other welfare families.

What's the solution for the struggling single mother doing the best she can for her children?

"It might mean more after-school programs," said Child Trends researcher Jennifer Brooks. "It might mean providing more support to these families through the communities, so that kids aren't taking adult roles or being left unsupervised."

As for London, she says the best part of her new life is independence from public assistance. Even though the days are long and the times are still lean, London sees a bright future for her and her children.

"I don't have to wait to the first of the month to buy food," she says. "And my kids are proud of me and the work I do. We really are getting by."

Page: 1 | 2