The Bill Clinton Rationale for Welfare Reform: Examining Implications of Race, Class, and Gender Using Documents

Abstract

This article explores implications of such social divisions as race, class, as well as gender in politics in the United States during the 1990s and sheds new light on Bill Clinton’s rationale for welfare reform. The present study is an attempt to figure out to what extent racism, classism, and sexism influenced Bill Clinton’s decision to sign Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) in 1996. In our analysis, we draw upon primary sources, written documents, or records such as President Bill Clinton’s autobiographical memoir My Life, his book with Al Gore Putting People First, and other texts from his political speeches. Our paper endeavors to fill gaps in the existing literature on welfare reform concerning implications of race, gender, and class issues in welfare reform legislation in 1996.