ABSTRACT
The vast majority of families with children receiving cash welfare assistance are headed by single mothers. In the 65 years since the establishment of the first national welfare benefit program, the demographic profile of families served by low-income programs has changed dramatically. Originally designed to serve a relatively small group of widows and abandoned mothers, welfare has evolved to serve mostly families headed by divorced, separated, or never-married mothers. New research reveals that a significant percentage of single mothers at all income levels-including those who receive welfare-are living with a man to whom they are not married, who may or may not be the father of her children.
