"In the aftermath of the Arab Spring, and in light of socio-economic and geopolitical challenges facing governments old and new, women's rights and empowerment have gained new urgency and relevance. Groups in power, or groups contesting for power, are more conservative than expected, and there are serious threats to roll back some of the gains women had achieved over the past 20-30 years on economic and social fronts. The global gender debate has neglected the economic dimension of women's empowerment and a great deal of debate and interest among researchers is needed to push the topics further. This timely book brings together leading regional researchers to offer original research linking gender equality with economic policy, reinforcing the agenda from a broad-based perspective."--Publisher summary.

Female-Headed Families in Poverty

Households headed by women are a growing presence worldwide. This is the first book to focus on their diversity and dynamics in developing countries. Set within the context of global trends and debates on female household headship, and using case-study material based on interviews with low-income women in Mexico, Costa Rica and the Philippines, the analysis explores the reasons for the formation and increase in women-headed households in different parts of the world, and their capacity for survival in societies where male-headed households are both the norm and ideal.

"Harrell Rodgers carefully analyzed the data on the changing profile of poverty families since 1959 and provides a clear view of the facts of poverty among women. He discusses the underlying causes for the dramatic increase in female-headed households, the major causes of poverty in families headed by women, and the governmental interventions intended to alleviate poverty in such families"--Excerpt from back cover.

Sure to raise the hackles of many across the nation is any mention of welfare and federal entitlement programs. All agree that no one should be on welfare, but the question is what to do about those who really need the income provided by the federal government. In 1996, welfare reform legislation enacted the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, which is a block grant provided to the state with a chief purpose of ending the dependence of needy families on government assistance. Among the principal groups impacted by the welfare reform legislation are female headed families with children. Recent analyses have revealed that single mothers are more likely to be working than in the past and that welfare receipt among poor families with women at the head has declined. Despite these trends, single mothers' net income has shown no increase, suggesting that full-time work may not be enough to eliminate poverty and welfare dependency among female families. This book reports on several current trends in the economic status of female headed families, providing an overview of federal programs and their effects along with several useful charts based on Census Bureau information. The combination of statistics and evaluation make for an important contribution to the study of initiatives to defeat poverty and income deficiencies in a significant part of the population.