Black and on Welfare: What you Don't Know About Single-Parent Women

                                                        
        "It seemed the assumption was that welfare recipients were unmotivted, unskilled, uneducated or undereducated, and responsible for bringing fatherless children into the world". Although author Sandra Golden identifies the untold truth behind black women on welfare. The stereotypes automatically perceived when a black women walks into the Welfare officed is that she is incapable of holding a job and simply is there to use the government's money. Sandra Golden speaks of how corrupt and wrong the Welfare system is. The workers in the welfare system did not ask her of her educational background or that of her previous prefessional. They simply assumed the worst and immediately labelled them as dysfunctional and nonproductive citizens. Alot of this judgement are unfactual and lead back to stereotypes made during slavery.
Based off of the Welfare reform, criteria included that the welfare system was to provide for children in homes, end dependency of needy parents on government benefits, prevent and reduce out of wedlock pregnancies, and encourage two-parent families. These criteria's were established to end welfare and increase marriages in society. Sandra Golden conduted a study with twelve different women from the ages of 28-40 years old. These women had three or more children, little edution, and little work experience. These women reported that the system was rude and unfair to them. They treated them as if they were stupid and illterate. Although as Sandra Golden expressed black women have more literacies than that learned from the classroom. The system also did not efficiently prepare these women for the workforce and were automatically set up for failure.
The welfare system based many of their decesions off of a women's academic literacy as opposed to the literacies of the community, home, workplace. Unfortunately this causes many on welfare to loose benefits. Although Golden's study only tested twelve individuals on welfare, much of the treatment of black women are exhibited daily. Women are only looked to as case numbers and not recognized for what they have to offer. If the government gave more interest in the improvement of these individuals welfare would be at the level that it is at today. Single-parent women are not lazy and actually are interested in work and providing for their family. Many need to understand that they are simply at a hard time in their life and they need help getting back on their feet.