Law Commons^™

Domestic Violence, Character, And Social Change In The Welfare Reform Debate, Joan S. Meier

GW Law Faculty Publications & Other Works

This article addresses the recently discovered connection between domestic violence and welfare “dependency.” Empirical research among welfare populations shows that over 50% of women receiving welfare are or have recently been battered, and that partner abuse is a major reason for the continuing poverty of many women.

The question the author asks and begins to answer is why this connection has not previously been identified or publicized by either the battered women’s movement or the anti-poverty movement, and what the challenge may be to both movements as they attempt to address it in the context of welfare reform. The author …