Social Work Commons^™

Organizational Factors Contributing To Worker Frustration: The Precursor To Burnout, Cathleen A. Lewandowski

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This study examined the organizationalf actors that contribute to workers' frustration with their work situation. The sample included 141 service professionals who attended workshops on burnout in 2001. The purpose of the workshops was to increase awareness regarding the organizational factors that could contribute to burnout. Findings indicate that factors most directly affecting clients were predictive of frustration, rather than factors that may indirectly support service quality or factors impacting workers' professional autonomy. A sense of powerlessness and isolation was also predictive of frustration, suggesting that participants viewed workplace problems as a private rather than an organizational concern. To address …

American Poverty As A Structural Failing: Evidence And Arguments, Mark R. Rank, Hong-Sik Yoon, Thomas A. Hirschl

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Empirical research on American poverty has largely focused on individual characteristicst o explain the occurrence and patternso f poverty. The argument in this article is that such an emphasis is misplaced. By focusing upon individual attributes as the cause of poverty, social scientists have largely missed the underlying dynamic of American impoverishment. Poverty researchers have in effect focused on who loses out at the economic game, rather than addressing the fact that the game produces losers in the first place. We provide three lines of evidence to suggest that U.S. poverty is ultimately the result of structural failings at the …

Shift Work And Negative Work-To-Family Spillover, Blanche Grosswald

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

A representative sample of the U.S. workforce from 1997 National Study of the Changing Workforce data (Families & Work Institute, 1999) was examined to study the relationship between shift work and negative workto- family spillover. Negative spillover was measured by Likert-scale frequency responses to questions concerning mood, energy, and time for family as functions of one's job. Statistical analyses comprised t-tests, ANOVAs, and multiple regressions. Among wage earners with families (n = 2,429), shift work showed a significant, strong, positive relationship to high negative work-to-family spillover when controlling for standard demographic characteristics as well as education and occupation. Distinctions among …

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 30, No. 4 (December 2003)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• AMERICAN POVERTY AS A STRUCTURAL FAILING: EVIDENCE AND ARGUMENTS - Mark R. Rank, Hong-Sik Yoon, & Thomas A. Hirschl
• SHIFT WORK AND NEGATIVE WORK-TO-FAMILY SPILLOVER - Blanche Grosswald
• BECAUSE A BETTER WORLD IS POSSIBLE: WOMEN CASINO WORKERS, UNION ACTIVISM AND THE CREATION OF A JUST WORKPLACE - Susan Chandler & Jill Jones
• RESILIENCY FACTORS RELATED TO SUBSTANCE USE/RESISTANCE: PERCEPTIONS OF NATIVE ADOLESCENTS OF THE SOUTHWEST - Margaret A. Waller, Scott K. Okamoto, Bart Miles, & Donna E. Hurdle
• A COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS OF SEX AND RACE INEQUITIES IN UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE BENEFITS - Melissa Latimer
• FINDING AND KEEPING AFFORDABLE …

A Comprehensive Analysis Of Sex And Race Inequities In Unemployment Insurance Benefits, Melissa Latimer

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This research makes a unique contribution to the growing body of literature on the welfare system by examining the relationship between sex, race, and social insurance benefits in a rural state. Using data from the West Virginia Unemployment Compensation Program, this research investigates sex and race differences in (1) monetary disqualifications for unemployment insurance (UI) benefits and (2) separation issue and nonseparation issue disqualifications of UI benefits. The analyses indicate that unemployed women, people of color, younger, and low income workers are the most likely to fail the monetary qualifications for UI benefits and to lose qualified weeks of UI …

Finding And Keeping Affordable Housing: Analyzing The Experiences Of Single-Mother Families In North Philadelphia, Susan Clampet-Lundquist

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The location, availability, and quality of housing shapes one's social networks, affects access to jobs, and impacts on social relations within the housing unit. However, access to affordable housing is limited for a significant portion of the population in the urban United States. In this study, I interviewed eighteen African-American and Puerto Rican single mothers in two low-income neighborhoods of Philadelphia about how they create and maintain their housing arrangements. Within the constraints of an affordable housing shortage, women told me how they struggle to share housing with others, rehab abandoned properties, live in substandard housing, and remain in unsafe …

Prevalence Of Child Welfare Services Involvement Among Homeless And Low-Income Mothers: A Five-Year Birth Cohort Study, Jennifer F. Culhane, David Webb, Susan Grim, Stephen Metraux, Dennis Culhane

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper investigates the five-year prevalence of child welfare services involvement and foster care placement among a population-based cohort of births in a large US city, by housing status of the mothers (mothers who have been homeless at least once, other low-income neighborhood residents, and all others), and by number of children. Children of mothers with at least one homeless episode have the greatest rate of involvement with child welfare services (37%),followed by other low-income residents (9.2%), and all others (4.0%). Involvement rates increase with number of children for all housing categories, with rates highest among women with four or …

Indicators For Safe Family Reunification: How Professionals Differ, Brad R. Karoll, John Poertner

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Many professionals who work with substance-affected families consider the time limits prescribed by the Adoption and Safe Families Act (1997) to be unrealistically short. The high prevalence of substance use in child welfare cases requires professionals to quickly determine when it is safe to reunify children placed because of abuse or neglect in concert with this serious family problem. This exploratory study identified similarities and differences on different indicators of safe reunification between judges who hear juvenile cases, private agency child welfare caseworkers, and substance abuse counselors. The study examined these professionals' rating of the importance of each indicator. Judges, …

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 30, No. 3 (September 2003)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• GENERATIONAL EQUITY, GENERATIONAL INTERDEPENDENCE, AND THE FRAMING OF
• THE DEBATE OVER SOCIAL SECURITY REFORM - John B. Williamson, Tay K. McNamara, & Stephanie A. Howling
• THE CULTURE OF RACE, CLASS, AND POVERTY: THE EMERGENCE OF A CULTURAL DISCOURSE IN EARLY COLD WAR SOCIAL WORK (1946-1963) - Laura Curran
• THE LIVED EXPERIENCE OF WELFARE REFORM IN DRUG-USING WELFARE-NEEDY HOUSEHOLDS IN INNER-CITY NEW YORK - Eloise Dunlap, Andrew Golub, & Bruce D. Johnson
• SERVING THE "HARD-TO-SERVE": THE USE OF CLINICAL KNOWLEDGE IN WELFARE REFORM - Rufina Lee & Laura Curran
• PREVALENCE OF CHILD WELFARE SERVICES INVOLVEMENT AMONG HOMELESS AND …

Generational Equity, Generational Interdependence, And The Framing Of The Debate Over Social Security Reform, John B. Williamson, Tay K. Mcnamara, Stephanie A. Howling

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article analyzes the differences between the generational equity and generational interdependence conceptual packages used to frame arguments in the debate over policies such as Social Security reform. It begins with a history of the generational equity debate. This is followed by an analysis of the assumptions, values, and beliefs that inform each of these two ideological frames. It presents an analysis of why the generational equity frame has dominated the debate and highlights some of the limitations of this perspective.

The Culture Of Race, Class, And Poverty: The Emergence Of A Cultural Discourse In Early Cold War Social Work (1946-1963), Laura Curran

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Through a primary source historical analysis, this article discusses the emergence of a cultural discourse in the early cold war (1946-1963) social work literature. It traces the evolution of social work's cultural narrative in relation to social scientific perspectives, changing race relations, and increasing welfare caseloads. Social work scholars originally employed their cultural discourse to account for racial and ethnic difference and eventually came to examine class and poverty from this viewpoint as well. This cultural framework wrestled with internal contradictions. It simultaneously celebrated and problematized cultural difference and foreshadowed both latter twentieth century multiculturalism as well as neo-conservative thought.

Spousal Abuse: Vietnamese Children's Reports Of Parental Violence, Yoko Baba, Susan B. Murray

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This exploratory study used mailed questionnaires completed by 131 Vietnamese students to examine domestic violence patterns in parents' marital relationships. Research objectives included: (1) gaining an understanding of spousal abuse among Vietnamese couples; and (2) assessing which variables (demographic characteristics, decision-making power, and cultural adaptation, beliefs in traditional gender roles, and conflicts in the family) are correlated with spousal abuse. Findings suggest that although both parents used reasoning, mental abuse and physical abuse in their marital relationships, Vietnamese fathers were more likely to be physically abusive than mothers. Additional variables associated with family conflicts are also examined. Research implications and …

Review Of Ageism: Stereotyping And Prejudice Against Older Persons. Todd Nelson (Ed.). Reviewed By Nancy R. Hooyman., Nancy R. Hooyman

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Todd Nelson (Ed). Ageism: Stereotyping and Prejudice Against Older Persons. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2002. $45.95 hardcover.

The Mommy Track: The Consequences Of Gender Ideology And Aspirations On Age At First Motherhood, Jennifer Stewart

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

While there is extensive and compelling evidence that growing up in an impoverished background leads to early fertility, few studies explain why early socioeconomic disadvantage leads to early childbearing. Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, I test whether gender ideology, as well as educational and occupational aspirations, mediates the connection between poverty and teen fertility patterns. Traditional gender ideology depresses age at first motherhood. Adolescent aspirations appear to act as protective factors in the production of early pregnancy.

Changing Women: An Ethnographic Study Of Homeless Mothers And Popular Education, Lorna Rivera

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article discusses ethnographic research conducted between 1995 and 1998 that studied the impact of popular education on the lives of fifty homeless and formerly homeless mothers. Data collection involved indepth interviews and participant observation in a family shelter located in one of Boston's poorest neighborhoods. The article argues that popular education increased the women's self-esteem, they were inspired to help other low-income women, they learned to advocate for their rights and they became more involved in their children's education. The findings suggest that popular education can best address the academic, personal, and community goals of very poor women.

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 30, No. 2 (June 2003)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• THE MOMMY TRACK: THE CONSEQUENCES OF GENDER IDEOLOGY AND ASPIRATIONS ON AGE AT FIRST MOTHERHOOD - Jennifer Stewart
• CHANGING WOMEN: AN ETHNOGRAPHIC STUDY OF HOMELESS MOTHERS AND POPULAR EDUCATION - Lorna Rivera
• THE SETTLEMENT HOUSE TRADITION: CURRENT TRENDS AND FUTURE CONCERNS - Beverly Koerin
• THE FIRST FOUR MONTHS IN A NEW FOSTER PLACEMENT: PSYCHOSOCIAL ADJUSTMENT,
• PARENTAL CONTACT AND PLACEMENT DISRUPTION - James G. Barber & Paul H. Delfabbro
• LINKING WELFARE CLIENTS TO JOBS: DISCRETIONARY USE OF WORKER SOCIAL CAPITAL - Michelle Livermore & Alison Neustrom
• HEAD START, OTHER PRESCHOOL PROGRAMS, & LIFE SUCCESS IN A YOUTH COHORT …

"Are You Beginning To See A Pattern Here?" Family And Medical Discourses Shape The Story Of Black Infant Mortality, Elaine R. Cleeton

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Postmodern and poststructuralist theorizations of the interrelations of the particular and the universal have identified women's bodies to be the last frontier for scientific discovery leading to and satisfying the modern compulsion to stabilize and control life from birth to death. This institutional ethnography of one city's response to an elevated infant mortality rate among the babies of African American urban, impoverished women explores their discursive transformation from single mothers who cannot begin prenatal care before the second trimester because too few physicians will treat Medicaid patients, into sexually-immoral, illegaldrug- using women who deliberately harm their babies. The study locates …

"For The Family": Asian Immigrant Women's Triple Day, Kamini Maraj Grahame

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article examines how Asian immigrant women manage the demands of family,job training, and paid work in their new society. Using institutional ethnography, a feminist research strategy developed by Dorothy Smith, the study begins with the women's experiences to explore the extended social relations which give shape to them. The study argues that among those extended relations are the organization of the labor market in the contemporary period, immigration legislation, and the ideological practices embedded in developing, managing, and administering public policies such as job training. A critical eye is turned to social science discourses on family which penetrate the …

Antiracism Discourse: The Ideological Circle In A Child World, Miu Chung Yan

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Antiracism is a dominant discourse in contemporary societies. The understanding of antiracism, however, varies. Government, through its own textually mediated organization of apparatus, tends to homogenize the discourse. This paper is to demonstrate, by employing institutional ethnography, how a child's act can ignite the socially organized textual engine to include the children's world in the ideological circle of antiracism discourse dominated by the government. Institutional ethnography, as demonstrated in this paper, is a useful tool for social workers to deconstruct the textual condition in which social work practice is embedded. The ideological circle is a powerful concept to help social …

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 30, No. 1 (March 2003)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Special Issue on Institutional Enthnography: Theory and Practice

• DOROTHY SMITH AND KNOWING THE WORLD WE LIVE IN - Marie Campbell
• TURNING THE KALEIDOSCOPE: TELLING STORIES IN RHETORICAL SPACES - Bonnie M. Winfield
• "ARE YOU BEGINNING TO SEE A PATTERN HERE?" FAMILY AND MEDICAL DISCOURSES SHAPE THE STORY OF BLACK INFANT MORTALITY - Elaine R. Cleeton
• "FOR THE FAMILY": ASIAN IMMIGRANT WOMEN'S TRIPLE DAY - Kamini Maraj Grahame
• CHRONIC ILLNESS AND ACADEMIC ACCOMMODATION: MEETING DISABLED STUDENTS' "UNIQUE NEEDS" AND PRESERVING THE INSTITUTIONAL ORDER OF THE UNIVERSITY - Karen E. Jung
• A CHILD'S DEATH: LESSONS FROM HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS' …

The Aging Imperative In Maine: Present Realities And Future Prospects, Helen. B. Miltiades, Lenard W. Kaye

Maine Policy Review

Maine has one of the oldest populations in the United States. In this article, Helen Miltiades and Lenard Kaye, guest editor for this special issue, provide an overview of Maine’s aging population and the challenges—and opportunities—faced in the “revolution in aging” that is taking place. They point out how the growing older adult population is expected to place greater demands on family caregivers, on the health and long-term care systems, and on state and federal budgetary and policy decisions. Describing some of Maine’s innovative public and private sector responses, they note that Maine has been in the forefront in providing …

"Active Living": Transforming The Organization Of Retirement And Housing In The U.S., Paul C. Luken, Suzanne Vaughan

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

We examine the transformation of the social institutions of retirement and housing in the US in the latter part of the 20th century. Using institutional ethnography we explicate a woman's experience relocating to an age segregated community. Her relocation is predicated upon ideological practices that reconceptualize retirement as "active living" and the construction of a setting in which retirees engage in this new lifestyle. We demonstrate the textual mediation of this ideological and organizational reformation through an examination of an advertising campaign undertaken by the Del Webb Development Corporation in the marketing of Sun City, Arizona. The advertising texts provide …