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This collection contains occasional publications from the Center for the Study of Women in Society.
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Item Open Access Recommendations for TANF Reauthorization Ideas(Center for the Study of Women in Society, University of Oregon, 2001-11-26) CSWS Welfare Research Team; Acker, Joan; Morgen, Sandra; Heath, Terri; Barry, Kate; Gonzales, Lisa; Weigt, JillSent to the Office of Family Assistance, Department of Health and Human Services.Item Open Access Oregon Families Who Left Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) or Food Stamps: In-Depth Interview Themes and Family Profiles (Vol. 2)(Center for the Study of Women in Society, University of Oregon, 2001-01) CSWS Welfare Research Team; Acker, Joan; Morgen, Sandra; Heath, Terri; Barry, Kate; Gonzales, Lisa; Weigt, JillThe success and limitations of Oregon’s welfare reform policies are best measured by an examination of the effects of these policies on the economic status and well-being of families whose lives have been most directly affected by those policies. Ironically, the voices of poor people themselves are often neglected in public debates about welfare policy. This report, a companion to Oregon Families Leaving Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) and Food Stamps: A Study of Economic and Family Well-Being From 1998 to 2000, consists of profiles of seventy-eight families who participated in both telephone surveys and in-person interviews, following them for almost two years after they left or were diverted from Food Stamps or TANF in the first quarter of 1998. Their lives are vivid portraits of families who have to live on incomes that position most of them in or near the bottom quintile (one-fifth) of the economy. The experiences of most of these families do not confirm the stereotypes so often used to characterize the poor. Nor do they speak in one voice about work, family, public assistance, Adult and Family Service programs or the juggling act of daily life. However, they were loud and clear about one point: the vital importance of public assistance programs for their economic survival and family well-being.Item Open Access Oregon Families Who Left Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) or Food Stamps: A Study of Economic and Family Well-Being From 1998 to 2000 (Vol. 1)(University of Oregon, 2001-01) CSWS Welfare Research Team; Acker, Joan; Morgen, Sandra; Heath, Terri; Barry, Kate; Gonzales, Lisa; Weigt, JillWhat happens to families that leave or are diverted from cash assistance or Food Stamps in Oregon? Dramatic reductions in public assistance caseloads after welfare reform have raised public concern about poor families. Our study indicates that the effects of welfare -to-work policies are neither simple nor uniform. The experiences of families suggest that it is unwise to paint a picture of welfare reform without attending to the diversity of families’ experiences and needs. Two years after leaving or being diverted from Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) or Food Stamps, a substantial proportion of respondents are employed. However, their earnings are low and families struggle mightily to make ends meet. Our sample was nearly evenly divided between those with household incomes above and below the federal poverty level. Safety net programs such as Food Stamps, the Oregon Health Plan, housing and child-care assistance and federal and state earned income tax credits are critical for family well-being. These essential resources often disappear before a family’s need for them diminis hes because of income eligibility limits and unaffordable co-payments associated with the programs. Non-employed respondents often live in communities without sufficient good jobs, have chronic health problems or they need job training or education. The state of Oregon, and these families, would be well served by intensified efforts to reduce poverty, sustain and improve safety net programs and foster more living wage jobs across the state.Item Open Access Policy Perspectives No. 4 - Education(Center for the Study of Women in Society, University of Oregon, 2001) Women in the Northwest Research Initiative; CSWS Welfare Research TeamThis Policy Perspective presents data from “Oregon Families Who Left Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) and Food Stamps: A Study of Economic and Family Well-Being, 1998-2000.Item Open Access Policy Perspectives No. 3 - Refundable Working Family Child Care Tax Credit(2001) Women in the Northwest Research Initiative; CSWS Welfare Research TeamThis Policy Perspectives presents data from “Oregon Families Who Left Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) and Food Stamps: A Study of Economic and Family Well-Being, 1998 to 2000.”Item Open Access Policy Perspectives No. 2 - Employment Related Daycare(Center for the Study of Women in Society, University of Oregon, 2001) Women in the Northwest Research Initiative; CSWS Welfare Research TeamThis Policy Perspectives presents data from “Oregon Families Who Left Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) and Food Stamps: A Study of Economic and Family Well-Being, 1998 to 2000.”Item Open Access Policy Perspectives No. 1 - The Oregon Health Plan(Center for the Study of Women in Society, University of Oregon, 2001) Women in the Northwest Research Initiative; CSWS Welfare Research TeamThis Policy Perspectives presents data from “Oregon Families Who Left Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) and Food Stamps: A Study of Economic and Family Well-Being, 1998 to 2000.”Item Open Access Valuing Families: The State of Oregon's Families(Center for the Study of Women in Society, University of Oregon, 1999-06) Harris, Leslie; Morgen, Sandra; Leeper, NancyThe purpose of this paper is to provide a wide variety of information about families in Oregon. The paper presents data which illuminate important issues affecting Oregon families. We hope this information will assist law and policy makers, family advocates, interested members of the community and scholars to help all Oregon families thrive. The first chapter after this introduction provides information about the diversity of Oregon families. The second part of the paper examines the economic well-being of Oregon families. It begins with a descriptive section about availability and distribution of income, followed by sections on wages, child support for children not living with both parents, the tax burden on families, the incidence of poverty and Oregon's public assistance programs. It concludes with a discussion of access to health insurance, since, for most people, having insurance is essential to obtaining adequate health care. Both employment- based and publicly funded insurance programs are included here.Item Open Access Gender, Families, and Latino Immigration in Oregon : Conference Proceedings(2008-05-22) Mendoza, Marcela; Stephen, LynnBy the year 2006, the population of the state of Oregon was over 10 percent Latino as a result of Latin American immigration, primarily from Mexico. While Latin American immigration to Oregon has been occurring since the 19th century, the growth in the Latino population has been greatest since the 1990s. Latino immigrants have settled throughout the state and make contributions in many cities and towns. Latino children were about 15 percent of the state’s population under age 18 in 2006, and Latino births were 20 percent of the total births in Oregon. At the current growth rate, the Oregon Department of Education projects that 28 percent of student enrollment in the state will be Latino by the year 2020. .......This conference was noteworthy in that the organizers used its planning as a means of reaching out to Latino communities throughout the state, a process that resulted in community leaders and advocates committed to playing an active role in this event. The key issues discussed in the panels were identified during a process of community consultation coordinated by a community advisory board. Over the previous eighteen months, the organizers conducted a series of public events that drew a diverse public including Latino immigrant students and families, immigrant rights advocates and community leaders, health care providers, human service providers, educators, participants in the justice system, academics, students, and others who work with immigrant populations.Item Open Access Welfare Restructuring, Work & Poverty: Policy Implications from Oregon(Center for the Study of Women in Society, University of Oregon, 2002) Acker, Joan; Morgen, Sandra; Gonzales, Lisa; Weigt, Jill; Barry, Kate; Heath, TerriTable of Contents: Acknowledgements. List of Figures. Executive Summary. Introduction: Are the New Welfare Policies Working? Section I — A Study of Former Welfare Recipients in Oregon. What did we study? Whom did we study? Who are the TANF-diverted? TANF Leavers vs.Food Stamp Leavers. Section II — The Struggle for Self-sufficiency. Are former welfare recipients working? What kind of wages are former recipients earning? How do wage levels fit into the bigger picture? Can families make it on low wages alone? Is “welfare reform ”helping families climb out of poverty? Who is making it? Who isn ’t making it? Section III — The Low-wage Labor Market. Is welfare-to-work working? What is a good job? Will job prospects for former recipients improve? What makes a good job for single parents? Section IV — The Work of Raising Children. Who has problems with childcare? How important is childcare assistance? Is daycare the only solution? Why can ’t poor mothers care for their own children? Section V — Non-employment and Unemployment. Do employers care about the lives of low-wage workers? What happens when people who are poor get sick? Section VI — The Demographics of Poverty. Who ’s poor in Oregon? Does the low-wage sector discriminate? Does labor have a gender divide? Section VII — Education, Training and Job Advancement. Does “welfare reform ”provide a route out of poverty? Why can ’t people who are poor access education? What makes educational attainment possible? Conclusion — Setting and Meeting the Goal of Poverty Reduction. Is “welfare reform ”reducing poverty in Oregon? Recommendations. An end to poverty? Bibliography.Item Open Access Understanding Medical Abortion: Policy, Politics, and Women's Health(Research Program on Women's Health, Center for the Study of Women in Society, University of Oregon, 2002-11) Harvey, S. Marie; Sherman, Christy A.; Bird, Sheryl Thorburn; Warren, JocelynThis monograph synthesizes what is currently known about medical abortion and provides an overview of the legal and political issues that have shaped its practice in the U.S.