Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Reagan Election And Mandate: Their Fiscal Policy Implications For The Welfare State, James Fendrich, Douglas St. Angelo

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper has three main thrusts. The first searches the Reagan campaign, the 1980 Republican Platform, the election and survey results to determine whether or not Reagan can creditably lay claim to a mandate for his social policies. The second thrust investigates the 1982 Reagan spending and taxing programs. Our purpose here is to ascertain if those policies denote major new directions in U.S. social policy. Our third purpose involves an assessment of the Reagan fiscal policies upon the U.S. economy.

This study concludes: (1) Reagan can claim a mandate for much of his social policies, (2) the Reagan fiscal …

Social Network Analysis: A New Tool For Understanding Individual And Family Functioning, Jane H. Pfouts, Ellen J. Safier

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

During the last decade, social work, along with the other helping professions, has moved toward conceptualizing practice within a social systems framework. Intrapsychic variables are still important but, increasingly, the emphasis is on the clients' intimate social network as both cause and solution of a wide range of social problems. It is now widely believed that clients' well-being is enhanced when system functioning is enhanced (Gitterman and Germain, 1976).

Most of what social workers know about social systems theory comes from the sociological literature, particularly the social action system of Talcott Parsons. Although this orientation has great heuristic value for …

An Examination Of Public Housing In The United States After Forty Years, Mary Jo Huth

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article first briefly reviews the history of public housing in the United States since its inception in 1937, noting that growing obsolescence of public housing units, the deterioration of inner-city neighborhoods surrounding public housing projects, racial tensions, and inflation have aggravated public housing problems in recent years. Moreover, public housing tenants are no longer predominantly white, upwardly-mobile, two-parent, working-class families, but predominantly non-white, non-mobile, female-headed, lower-class families. The remainder of the article presents the findings of a 1978 field survey of public housing in the United States conducted by the Department of Housing and Urban Development in preparation for …

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 8, No. 3 (September 1981)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Table of Contents

• Abusers of Clients of Women's Shelter: Their Socialization and Resources - M. M. Brown, B. E. Aguirre, Carol Jorgensen
• An Examination of Public Housing in the United States after Forty Years - Mary Jo Huth
• Services Aren't Goods: Post-Industrial Principles for Policy Design - Howell S. Baum
• Native American Elderly Formal and Informal Support Systems - Gregory R. Versen
• Factors Affecting the Economic Status of Elderly Chicanos - Alejandro Garcia
• The Future of Welfare Programs in the United States: Four Approaches - Wim Weiwel
• The Reagan Election and Mandate: Their Fiscal Policy Implications for the Welfare State …

The Future Of Welfare Programs In The United States: Four Approaches, Wim Weiwel

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

There are many theories which attempt to explain why the United States has become a welfare state. Four main approaches can be distinguished which focus on 1) the maintenance of social order; 2) welfare as empowerment; 3) welfare as an expression of egalitarianism; and 4) welfare as contributing to economic growth.

Similarly, there are many predictions about the likely future of the welfare state. They can be related to the four approaches which analyze the welfare state's historical origins and current function. The aim of this article is to clarify the debate about the future by relating the different predictions …

Native American Elderly Formal And Informal Support Systems, Gregory R. Versen

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

As a minority group, American Indians have the distinction of being the smallest and the poorest. Their cultural diversity and unique relationship with the United States government set them even further apart from other minority groups. A subgroup of Native Americans about which little is known and even less has been written is the Native American elderly. This group is the focal point of this paper.

This paper reviews selected works by anthropologists, psychologists, social workers, health care professionals, and Native Americans. The intent is to identify and assess the formal and informal support systems to which the Native American …

Assessing Part-Time Education In An M.S.W. Program, Ursula C. Gerhart

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Because of the dearth of debates on the merits of full-time vs. part-time M.S.W. education, some findings on law-school part-time education are reported, together with the results of an empirical study which compared the achievement of part-time and full-time social work students. Given the same opportunities, parttime students do as well as full-timers.

Criminal Justice Student Views Of The Criminal Justice System: The Impact Of Education And Self-Selection And Their Implications For The Human Services, Belinda Rodgers Mccarthy, Bernard Jerome Mccarthy

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The present study examines criminal justice student views of the criminal justice system. The purpose of the research is to investigate issues surrounding the influence of self-selection and criminal justice education on the opinions of criminal justice students toward the criminal justice system.

The research suggests that students choose criminal justice careers in part because their personal philosophies mirror the conflicting objectives of the criminal justice system. Criminal justice education seems to influence criminal justice student views of the criminal justice system, but in a direction that may make the transition to employment in criminal justice agencies a more difficult …

Organizational Resistance To Serving The Disadvantaged: The Case Of A State Employment Service, Ronald Randall

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Maintaining the commitment of public agencies to serve the disadvantaged persists as one of the most vexing problems in public affairs. This study places in an historical perspective the commitment of the Wisconsin State Employment Service (WSES) to serve the disadvantaged during the late 1960s and the retreat from this emphasis in the 1970s. The WSES displays a tradition of tension between operating-level employees who aspire to serve a job-ready clientele, and top decisionmakers who, from time to time, sense a need for direct service to the disadvantaged. The study suggests that effective service to the disadvantaged depends upon continuous, …

Services Aren't Goods: Post-Industrial Principles For Policy Design, Howell S. Baum

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

As the United States moves from an industrial society to a post-industrial society, fewer people are engaged in the production of goods, and a majority now produce services. The processes of designing and producing goods and services are radically different. This differences calls for innovation in both the structure of the work setting and the policies which govern work in the society as a whole. The article examines differences between goods and services and proposes a new model for designing and producing services, as well as new principles for social policy for service production. The model and principles are illustrated …

Factors Affecting The Economic Status Of Elderly Chicanos, Alejandro Garcia

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper identifies and discusses factors affecting the economic status of elderly chicanos. These factors include historical factors, labor force participation, familial support systems, and human services utilization. Implications for policy are addressed.

Strategies For Crime Reduction In Public Housing, Mary Jo Huth

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Many recent studies have revealed that not only are residents of public housing the most vulnerable segment of the American population in terms of criminal victimization, but that even in projects where the actual incidence of crime is not high, a great fear of crime prevails, especially among the elderly tenants. There is general consensus among crime prevention experts that crime reduction programs in public housing must utilize an integrated set of measures, including: (1) physical design, security hardware, and maintenance improvements by management; (2) increased organization of tenants around crime prevention issues; (3) employment of unemployed tenants--both youths and …

Determinants Of Primary Group Assistance During Unemployment, Martin D. Hanlon

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

In recent years much research attention has been given to the role of primary groups in ameliorating stressful life events. However, little is known about what factors determine the amount of assistance people receive from relatives and friends during a situation of crisis. This is the focus of the present study. The data base is a sample of public sector workers who were involuntarily laid off from their jobs.

The data revealed that respondents received considerable assistance from parents and friends--the two primary group types included in the analysis--during the period of unemployment. Objective economic deprivation, indexed by the difference …

Child-Care Usage Patterns As Estimates Of Child-Care Need, Nancy Hendrix

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Child-care utilization studies are often used to estimate the need for future child-care. The author stresses the limitations of the use of past patterns to judge future needs. Specifically the article focuses on the reliability and validity of measures of usage and satisfaction with various child-care modes, errors in study design, lack of conceptual clarity, and problems of the correlation of child-care modes and other variables.

Benefits For The Disabled: How Beneficial For Women?, Elizabeth Ann Kutza

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The social and economic consequence of disability is of increasing interest in American society today. The numbers of persons reporting disabling conditions is rising, as is the number of persons qualifying for public disability benefits. This article examines the impact of current United States disability policy on disabled women, and concludes that the major programs - disability insurance, supplemental security income, workers' compensation, vocational rehabilitation - because of their relationship to labor market participation, disadvantage women. Women not only receive fewer, but less generous benefits. Explanations of this outcome, and implications for future policy are addressed.

A Cross-Cultural Comparison Of Marital Abuse, Suzanne K. Steinmetz

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

A brief history of marital violence and statistics from recent studies are presented. Marital abuse data from six societies: United States; Canada; Finland; Israel, with city and Kibbutz sub-samples; Puerto Rico; and Belize (British Honduras) with sub-samples of Spanish speaking, Creoles and Caribs are compared. In general, similarities were found between political/civil profiles of violence and marital violence score within each society. The percentage of husbands and wives using abuse was also similar for each society. The major exception was Puerto Rico, where almost twice as many husbands were reported to have been violent. The percentage of husbands and wives …

Women And Disability: The Double Handicap, Nancy Brooks, Mary Jo Deegan

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

During the 1970's a social movement arose to address the concerns of people with disabilities. Action groups pressed for reforms in architectural barriers, educational and employment opportunities, deinstitutionalization, and legal protection of civil rights. Although accurate demographic information is lacking, estimates indicate that approximately one in ten Americans has a disability or chronic disease and would be affected by the changes brought about by the disability movement. These people experience serious limitations in major activities such as housework, employment, or education. Yet external restrictions imposed by negative attitudes impose greater handicaps by preventing full social participation of this stigmatized group. …

Disabled Women: Sexism Without The Pedestal, Michelle Fine, Adrienne Asch

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The position of the disabled woman in current U.S. society deserves political, theoretical and empirical attention. In this paper we have delineated the economic, social and psychological constraints which place her at a distinct disadvantage, relative to disabled men and nondisabled women. We evaluate the ways in which having a disability is viewed as an impediment to traditional or nontraditional sex role development. The construct rolelessness is introduced, defined and examined. We conclude with reconmiendations for needed research and policy.

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 8, No. 2 (July 1981)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Table of Contents

• INTRODUCTION: Women and Disability: The Double Handicap - NANCY BROOKS & MARY JO DEEGAN
• Disabled Women: Sexism Without the Pedestal (#4) - MICHELLE FINE & ADRIENNE ASCH
• The Invisible Isolation of Deaf Women: Its Effect on Social Awareness - GAYLENE BECKER & JOANNE JAUS EGUI
• Assertiveness Training for Women with Visual Impairments - CYNTHIA KOLB
• Multiple Minority Groups: A Case Study of Physically Disabled Women - MARY JO DEEGAN
• Benefits for the Disabled: How Beneficial for Women? - ELIZABETH A. KUTZA
• Women and Chronic Renal Failure: Some Neglected Issues - NANCY G. KUTNER & HEATHER L. GRAY …

Like Other Women: Perspectives Of Mothers With Physical Disabilities, Susan Shaul, Pamela Dowling, Bernice F. Laden

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article is based on interviews with ten women, ranging in age from 19 to 45 and living in the Puget Sound area of Washington State. Their disabilities are neurmuscular or musculoskeletal and include spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, post-polio and spina bifida. Their children range in age from 11 months to adulthood. The article focuses on specific issues and concerns regarding early childhood ranagement, and includes some discussion of pre-natal and cbstetrical care. Cann misconceptions concerning motherhood and disability are also discussed. men with disabilities also have special concerns as parents. Although their concerns are not addressed in this …

Child Abuse In A Small City: Social Psychological And Ecological Correlates, Robert D. Gingrich, James R. Hudson

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Child abuse has become a growing national concern. Its current status can be linked to the research by Kempe who identified the "battered child syndrome". Two models of explanation have been advanced; a medical and a social psychological. This study of 134 cases of child abuse in a small city employes the social psychological model and tests the hypothesis that social isolation is correlated with child abuse. Support for that hypothesis leads to an elaboration of the dynamics of social isolation with an emphasis on the absence of other persons with children from the milieu of the child abuse perpetrator …

Social Justice And Rationing Social Services, Claudia J. Coulton, Marvin Rosenberg

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper discusses the ethical implications of different mechanisms used by social agencies to ration scarce social services. Mechanisms such as "queing," "creaming," and "triage" are discussed from the perspective of two theories of social justice; i.e., John S. Mill and John Rawls. The purpose of the paper is to encourage more explicit examination of the assumptions that underlie the distribution of social services. It is the authors' contention that the present decision making process is almost entirely based on intuition, political expedience, and tradition, and that systematic ethical analysis would give stronger justification to rationing decisions.

Toward A Model Of Factors Influencing The Hiring Of Women With A History Of Breast Cancer, Nancy Mccharen, Jo Anne L. Earp

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Whether surgical treatment for cancer which results in the removal of an external part of the body is viewed by employers as a medical disability that interferes with the performance of job-related functions, or fits a more stereotypic definition of a physical handicap that might even prevent an employee from being hired, has not been adequately studied. To identify factors which influence employers' decisions to hire women who have had breast cancer, a model of factors influencing the decision to hire was developed. A random sample of personnel directors from an industrialized North Carolina county was surveyed. A majority had …

The Invisible Isolation Of Deaf Women: Its Effect On Social Awareness, Gaylene Becker, Joanne Jauregui

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The place of deaf women in relation to society is discussed, and the formative experiences that shape their personal development are described. Deaf women's needs are delineated, and suggestions are made for providers to meet these needs.

Assertiveness Training For Women With Visual Impairments, Cynthia Kolb

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

An assertiveness support group was designed for five women with visual impairments who were attending college. The purpose of the group was to apply concepts underlying assertive behaviors (Phelps & Austin, 1975) to effectively managing psycho-social factors related to adjustment to a disability (Wright, 1960; Donaldson, 1980). Issues such as developing assertive responses other than eye contact, defining a sense of personal power in handling dependency related to the presence of an impairment and identifying strategies for dealing with the stereotypes of others were discussed. Although no formal measurements of the group's effectiveness were made, verbal feedback from participants at …

Multiple Minority Groups: A Case Study Of Physically Disabled Women, Mary Jo Deegan

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

In general, disfranchised Americans are becoming increasingly aware of their social restrictions and limitations on opportunities. As a result there are now minority groups who have identified their shared problems only within the last twenty years,and these groups are rapidly changing the nature of minority relations. In particular, people with newly defined multiple minority statuses are beginning to articulate their specialized interests and establish new relations with both the dominant majority and the minority groups to which they belong.

Physically disabled women are one such group. As women and as disabled people, they are members of two separate minority groups. …

Women And Chronic Renal Failure: Some Neglected Issues, Nancy G. Kutner, Heather L. Gray

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

It has been assumed until recently that chronic renal failure is more prevalent among men than among women, but data now indicate that at least half of all renal patients are women. The literature continues to focus on adjustment problems of male patients, especially sexual adjustment and job-loss problems, and to assume that women can adjust more easily because of their ability to maintain the homemaker role. However, women patients whose work status is that of homemaker are found to have the highest depression scores, and job loss results in low satisfaction for those who have held meaningful outside jobs. …

A Peer Counseling Training Program For Disabled Women: A Tool For Social And Individual Change, Marsha Saxton

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article presents a description of a successful peer counseling training program for disabled women, offered in a community-based self help organization. The program provides both training in peer counseling skills, and a personal growth experience. It was carried out in a group context specifically designed for the needs of women with disabilities. The counseling approach, the training format and curriculum, and the evaluation procedures can all serve as a basis for agencies interested in developing similar programs.

The Self Disclosure Of Clinical Social Workers, Herman Borenzweig

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

My interest in this study arose from what I believed to be the discrepancy between the conventional wisdom about self disclosure and its occurrence in the practice of clinical social work. Bradmiller'sI study, one of the few studies about self disclosure in the practice of social work, found that persons with masters degrees in social work (MSW's) disclose significantly more to their colleagues than do undergraduate social work majors. The MSW's in Bradmiller's study self disclosed to clients at a lesser rate than they did to other target persons. Bradmiller2 interprets her study, " ...... most simply as an indication …

Social Welfare: Context For Social Control, Phyllis J. Day

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Because human service professionals are uncritical concerning the latent functions of their organizations they may be unaware of their power as agents for social control. The paper discusses values, attitudes, and education supportive of such control, the permeation of social programs into heretofore private areas of human life, the power inherent in new techniques of social persuasion, and the centralization of that power because of expanded government funding and accountability requirements. As public assistance programs contain civil disorder among the poor, so other social welfare programs insure conformity and control the alienated of all levels of society.