Women, the State, and Welfare is the first collection of essays
specifically about women and welfare in the United States. As an
introduction to the effects of welfare programs, it is intended for
general readers as well as specialists in sociology, history, political
science, social work, and women's studies. The book begins with a review
essay by Linda Gordon that outlines current scholarship about women and
welfare. The chapters that follow explore discrimination against women
inherent in many welfare programs; the ways in which welfare programs
reinforce basic gender programs in society; the contribution of
organized, activist women to the development of welfare programs; and
differences of race and class in the welfare system. By giving readers
access to a number of perspectives about women and welfare, this book
helps position gender at the center of welfare scholarship and policy
making and places welfare issues at the forefront of feminist thinking
and action.