ABSTRACT
Academics, policy analysts, political elites, and members of the mass media often speak as if impoverished families receiving welfare constitute a homogeneous population. Statements about welfare recipients are frequently couched in such broad terms as to suggest that lone mothers on the welfare rolls are similar in terms of life experiences, current circumstances, and capabilities. At times, such broad statements are tied to negative stereotypes. Yet, in reality, there is no generic “welfare mother”1 about whom we may accurately generalize. Broad generalizations about welfare recipients, even by fair-minded people, tend to ignore the diverse characteristics of impoverished lone-mother-headed families and the varied problems and challenges with which they struggle in their efforts to escape poverty.
