U.S. flag
      An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.
        Here's how you know
      Here's how you know**Official websites use .gov**
            
            A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
      **Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
            
            A **lock** (
            A locked padlock
            ) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Menu

      
        close

            
            
                                              About NIJ
        
                    
  
          About NIJ
      
    
          The NIJ Director
          How NIJ Is Organized
          Mission and Guiding Principles
          Research and Development Process
          Strategic Framework
          Assessments of NIJ
          Annual Reports & Reports to Congress
          Staff Directory
          Funding & Awards
        
                    
  
          Funding & Awards
      
    
          Current Funding
          Forthcoming Funding
          Expired Funding
          Awards: Listing of Funded Projects
          Guidance for Applicants and Awardees
          Fellowship & Student Programs
          Travel Scholarships
          NIJ Challenge Program
          Library & Multimedia
        
                    
  
          Library & Multimedia
      
    
          NIJ Journal
          Podcasts
          Publications Listing
          Multimedia Listing
          Rated Practices on CrimeSolutions
          Rated Programs on CrimeSolutions
          Software & Databases
          Datasets
          Patents
          Topics
        
                    
  
          Topics
      
    
          Article Listing
          Corrections
          Courts
          Crime Prevention
          Crimes
          Drugs and Crime
          Equipment and Technology
          Forensic Sciences
          Youth Justice
          Justice System Reform
          Law Enforcement
          Tribal Crime and Justice
          Victims of Crime
          Events
        
                    
  
          Events
      
    
          NIJ 2024 Research Conference
          Scheduled Events
          On-Demand Events
          Research Meetings & Workshops
          NIJ-Hosted Online Training

                            
                                About
          Contact Us
          Subscribe
          Topics A-Z
                  Share
FacebookXLinkedInRedditPinterestEmail Home
                            Library & Multimedia
 Welfare Reform, Domestic Violence, and Employment: What Do We Know and What Do We Need To Know?
NCJ Number
              206847
Journal

*Violence Against Women* Volume: 10 Issue: 9 Dated: September 2004 Pages: 961-990
Author(s)
          Stephanie Riger;
                        Susan L. Staggs
Date Published

September 2004
Length
              30 pages
Annotation
              This literature review examines the impact of welfare reform on women's well-being as well as domestic violence against women by abusers who may be angered by the apparent independence of women required to be employed outside the home under welfare reform mandates.
Abstract
              A key goal of the 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act was to increase employment of those receiving welfare. Women's work participation has increased significantly under this legislation. In 2001, Tolman and Raphael summarized what various studies have learned about the relationship between domestic violence and employment. They found inconsistent results and concluded that a long-term perspective is required to assess this relationship. Tolman and Raphael emphasized that future research must examine not only whether abused women are successful at working but also whether working increases the likelihood of their victimization. Since Tolman and Raphael's review, studies continue to yield inconsistent findings. Some studies have found that women with higher employment stability were less likely to have experienced recent domestic abuse; however, in a Pennsylvania study (Brush, 2003), 40 percent of women in a welfare-to-work program reported that domestic abuse started or became worse when they were working. Studies of poor women often assess violence with general measures that may not include the specific kinds of acts that interfere with employment or education. Some differentiate amounts of violence, making a distinction between serious and less serious violence; however, this may ignore a qualitative difference in types of violence. Perhaps most important, variables that are not included in these studies may account for different responses to welfare reform and to abuse. Some of the most important of these unobserved variables are contextual factors that may affect whether women work outside the home, such as childcare accessibility and transportation problems. Structural factors, such as a lack of local jobs, may also be critical to employment. Other factors are differences in ethnicity and the abusive partner's employment or education. Ensuring that generous work supports are included in welfare legislation may be an effective means of reducing both poverty and associated domestic violence. 2 tables and 71 references
      
  
          Additional Details
Grant Number(s)
        2001-WT-BX-0002


  
  
        
  Agencies
        NIJ-Sponsored


  
  
        
  Publication Type
        Report (Study/Research)
                                Literature Review
    
  
  
Date Published: September 1, 2004
    
          Downloads
        
                      HTML

Side navigation
  

        

  
  
              NIJ Journal
    
      
            
            
            
      Podcasts
    
      
            
            
            
      Publications Listing
    
      
            
            
            
      Multimedia Listing
    
      
            
            
            
      Rated Practices on CrimeSolutions
    
      
            
            
            
      Rated Programs on CrimeSolutions
    
      
            
            
            
      Software & Databases
    
      
            
            
            
      Datasets
    
      
            
            
            
      PatentsRelated Topics
        
                Domestic assault
        Domestic violence causes
        Female victims
        NIJ Grant-related Documents
        Violence causes



  
Similar Publications
        
                      Moving Forward While Looking Back: Understanding the Influence of a “Test All” SAK Mandate on Sexual Assault Case Attrition
                  ICPUTRD: Image Cloud Platform for Use in Tagging and Research on Decomposition
                  Importance of culture in measuring tribal crime seriousness: scoping review of crime seriousness indices
 Top

      National Institute of Justice

        
        
                        About NIJ
                    About NIJ
      
    
                  How NIJ Is Organized
      
    
                  NIJ Director
      
    
                  Research Disclaimer
      
    
                  Funding & Awards
                    Funding & Awards Home
      
    
                  Awards Listing
      
    
                  Current Funding
      
    
                  Guidance for Applicants and Awardees
      
    
                  Resources
                    Events
      
    
                  Podcasts
      
    
                  Publications
      
    
                  Topics
      
    
                  Multimedia
      
    
                  Reuse Policy
      
    
                  Contacts
                    Contact NIJ
      
    
                  Staff Directory
      
    
                  Submit a FOIA Request
      
    
                  File a Civil Rights ComplaintFacebook
          
                      X
          
                      YouTube
  

      810 7th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20531
      
              Secondary Footer link menu
            Accessibility
              Plain Language
              Privacy Policy
              Legal Policies and Disclaimer
              No FEAR Act
              Freedom of Information Act
              USA.gov
              Justice.gov