The Culture of Welfare Dependency

             The issue of welfare dependency has been the topic of debate for many
             years. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the culture of welfare
             dependency and to present the available evidence on the issue. The
             discussion will also focus on how this topic is sociologically relevant.
             Finally we will state that the conclusions that we have drawn from the
             The Social Security Act of 1935 created a program known as Aid to
             Dependent Children. (Smith-Brandon, and Tang) Originally this program was
             designed to shield children from the full effects of poverty. However, in
             the years that followed the program has become an alternative to finding
             employment. (Smith-Brandon, and Tang) The article explains that "for many
             decades, some welfare recipients have received AFDC benefits for several
             generations, and they do not have to "work" for their "money" (welfare
             checks/benefits). Many critics have argued that the antipoverty program has
             created a more intractable social problem by promoting unstable, single-
             parent families; encouraging illegitimacy and the abandonment of families
             by fathers" (Smith-Brandon, and Tang)
             In his book Losing Ground, Charles Murray points out that the
             government spent an enormous amount of money on social welfare programs.
             Murray asserts that "From 1965 to 1980, the federal government spent about
             the same amount on job programs, in constant dollars, as it spent on space
             exploration from 1958 through the first moon landing." (Murray) The author
             also asserts that the progress that America made to improve poverty has
             been impeded by the welfare system. (Murray)
             This issue has created generations of women and children that are
             dependent upon the welfare system for their survival. There has been some
             attempt to stop this cycle in recent years but in some cases these programs
             have created new problems. Over the next few paragraphs we will discuss
             ot...

More Essays:

APA     MLA     Chicago
The Culture of Welfare Dependency. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 08:57, March 29, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/201302.html