Child Poverty, Maternal Health and Social Benefits

Abstract

This article begins with a discussion of the relations among family poverty, poor health and employment. It argues that some lone mothers are unable to keep their children out of poverty because poor health interferes with finding or maintaining employment. These issues are discussed with reference to the international literature, and also in the light of the results of a New Zealand research project that examines the self-reported health status of lone mothers on social benefits, their experiences as beneficiaries, and their views about the government requirement to seek paid work. These lone mothers were not exempted from the work test for health or disability reasons, but the questionnaire results indicate that their self-reported health status is well below that of New Zealand women of comparable age. About one-third report health problems, either their children's or their own. Excerpts from 120 qualitative interviews illustrate the challenges that many one-parent families face when they attempt to exit from welfare.