Violence
in Intimate Relationships as
Women Transition from Welfare to Work
Elizabeth
Votruba-Drzal, Brenda J. Lohman,
and P. Lindsay Chase-Lansdale
Abstract
High rates of domestic violence among low-income women
are of concern to policymakers, researchers, and advocates as women
move from welfare to work in the wake of welfare reform. This study
uses longitudinal data from a low-income sample of women (N=2,128)
to examine associations between welfare and employment transitions
and domestic violence. Results suggest that women who remain on
welfare are subject to higher rates of abuse over time, while those
who transition off welfare experience reductions in nearly all measures
of domestic violence. Although domestic violence was not associated
with women’s entry into the paid labor force, increasing rates
of domestic violence were linked to women’s ability to maintain
stable paid employment. The implications of these analyses for policy
and practice are discussed in light of welfare reauthorization.
Elizabeth
Votruba-Drzal, Doctoral student,
Human Development and Social Policy, Northwestern University Brenda J. Lohman,
Research Associate, Institute for Policy Research,
Northwestern University P. Lindsay Chase-Lansdale,
Human Development and Social Policy, Northwestern
University
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