There is an inherent dignity in work, the architects of welfare reform had piously declared. Without a job, single mothers are incapable not only of escaping poverty but of realizing the blessing of self-sufficiency. Never mind that most of the jobs available to these women paid poverty wages, came with no health insurance, and were at constant risk of being eliminated by companies’ “restructuring strategies.” Many women didn’t have access to the childcare that would allow them to work such jobs.
