title: The effect of the U.S. welfare system on marital status.
abstract: "An issue of long-standing importance in the U.S. welfare system has been its lack of neutrality with respect to family composition, which generally provides payments only to female-headed families--that is, families with no able-bodied male present.  Using data from 1969 to 1985 to examine the issue, this study finds that (1) the simple cross-sectional correlations between marital status and welfare benefits are almost always in the expected direction but are generally weak in significance; (2) that the magnitude and significance of the correlations have nevertheless grown over time; and (3) that the correlations for men are no weaker and usually stronger, especially for blacks, than those for women."
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Moffitt
mesh_terms: D001741:Black or African American; D000569:Americas; D003469:Culture; D003710:Demography; D019049:Developed Countries; D004467:Economics; D005006:Ethnicity; D005191:Family Characteristics; D017533:Marital Status; D008393:Marriage; D009656:North America; D011153:Population; D011154:Population Characteristics; D012946:Social Welfare; D014481:United States
keywords: Americas; Blacks; Cultural Background; Demographic Factors; Developed Countries; Economic Factors; Ethnic Groups; Family And Household; Family Characteristics; Marital Status; North America; Northern America; Nuptiality; Population; Population Characteristics; Social Welfare; United States