How Do Low-Income Single-Mothers Get By When Unemployment Strikes: Patterns of Multiple Program Participation After Transition From Employment to Unemployment

Authors

Chi-Fang Wu
Yu-Ling Chang
Soohyun Yoon
Salma Musaad

Language

English

Publication Date

1-1-2022

Journal

PLoS One

DOI

10.1371/journal.pone.0274799

PMID

36137149

PMCID

PMC9499290

PubMedCentral® Posted Date

9-22-2022

PubMedCentral® Full Text Version

Post-print

Abstract

Little is known about longitudinal patterns of welfare program participation among single mothers after they transition from employment to unemployment. To better understand how utilization patterns of these welfare programs may change during the 12 months after a job loss, we used the 2008 Survey of Income and Program Participation to examine the patterns of participation in Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, and unemployment insurance among 342 single mothers who transitioned from employment to unemployment during the Great Recession. Using sequence analysis and cluster analysis, this paper identified four distinct patterns of program participation: (a) constantly receiving in-kind benefits; (b) primarily but not solely receiving food stamps; (c) inconsistent unemployment insurance or Medicaid-based benefits; and (d) limited or no benefits. Almost two-fifths of our sample of single mothers received inconsistent, limited, or no benefits. Results of the multinomial regression revealed that race, work disability, poverty, homeownership, and region of residence were significant factors that influenced whether study subjects participated in or had access to social safety net programs. Our findings illustrate the heterogeneity in patterns of multiple program participation among single mothers transitioning from employment to unemployment. Better understanding these varied patterns may inform decisions that increase the accessibility of US social safety net programs for single mothers during periods of personal economic hardship.

Keywords

Employment, Food Assistance, Humans, Medicaid, Poverty, Unemployment, United States

Published Open-Access

yes

Recommended Citation

Wu, Chi-Fang; Chang, Yu-Ling; Yoon, Soohyun; et al., "How Do Low-Income Single-Mothers Get By When Unemployment Strikes: Patterns of Multiple Program Participation After Transition From Employment to Unemployment" (2022). Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications. 256.
https://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/staff_pub/256