Blog Update: I have learned that the Governments' Response to poverty sometimes lacks the full potential for success.
The movie American Dream was very eye opening! The programs aim to move women from welfare to work is an excellent goal, but the Government was not prepared to deal with the family as a whole. The focus on the jobs for the mothers was a one sided approach by the Government to quickly move people off of welfare. The program would have benefited the family as a whole if every member of the family was included in the Governments' planning process of the program. The Governments' focus should have included an education program that encourage the children to stay in school and a GED program for the mothers that did not finish school. Each mother needs to be given an equal opportunity for advancement. Mothers without a high school diploma are not able to move up the ladder and earn more money. Keeping the mothers at the same level of income continues the poverty cycle. Some of the mothers never have a chance to make an amount of money well above 130% of poverty. The Government needs to make a concerted effort to focus some attention on helping the mothers that don't have a high school diploma. A mother with a GED would earn more income and help to move their family off of Welfare and other Government Assistance.
The flim "American Dream" was a very eye opening film. It was surprising to me even on welfare the woman in the film could not get out of poverty. Even more surprising to me was the fact that she didn't want to go back to school to further her education.
ReplyDeleteI agree all of your statements. Half-hearted efforts on behalf of our government will not alleviate poverty in the US or globally for that matter. While, the new welfare reform has the potential to raise the moral of single mothers by finding them jobs and allowing them to feel useful, it can also be negative because they no longer have free time to pursue a higher education and therefore, will not qualify for higher paying jobs. I really hope the governments finds a better way to help these single-mothers!
ReplyDelete