The Crisis of Caregiving: Social Welfare Policy in the United States

by B. Mandell (Editor)

Overview

This book discusses the crisis of caregiving as it affects parents seeking to provide good care for their children and people who care for their aged or disabled relatives. Discussed are alternatives to the present welfare system, a description of the current safety net programs, and an analysis of the privatization of social services.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780230622616
Publisher:	Palgrave Macmillan US
Publication date:	07/21/2010
Edition description:	2010
Pages:	268
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.30(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Betty Reid Mandell is Professor Emerita at Bridgewater State College.

Table of Contents

Introduction Betty Reid Mandell 1

1 Who Cares?: The Crisis of Caregiving Betty Reid Mandell 5

2 Women's Work, Mother's Poverty: Are Men's Wages the Best Cure for Women's Economic Insecurity? Gwendolyn Mink 33

3 Paid Family and Medical Leave Randy Albelda Betty Reid Mandell 47

4 The Privatization of Care Betty Reid Mandell 63

5 Shelters for the Homeless: A Feeble Response to Homelessness Betty Reid Mandell 81

6 Foster Care Betty Reid Mandell 113

7 Adoption Betty Reid Mandell 145

8 The Punitive State: Dimensions of Incarceration in the United States Marguerite G. Rosenthal 181

9 Alternatives to Welfare Betty Reid Mandell 207

Appendix A Current Safety Net Programs 231

Appendix B Advocacy Organizations Concerned with Caregiving and Social Justice 245

Contributors 257

Index 259

Editorial Reviews

"Inevitably, the human condition requires that societies provide care for those who, whether through the exigencies of biology or of markets, cannot fully care for themselves. The U.S. is no different. But the care we provide is often meager, or given on terms so harsh that it actually damages those in need. Mandell has brought together a number of essays which illuminate this dark underside of American social policy, and it is a must-read for all of us seeking a better and gentler society." - Frances Fox Piven, Distinguished Professor of Political Science and Sociology at the Graduate Center, City University of New York

"This book examines the current condition of the American welfare state from a unique perspective: the adequacy of its support of individual caregivers, most of whom have traditionally been women, and the adequacy of its institutionalized caregiving arrangements, such as foster care, adoption, homeless shelters, and even prisons. In effect, this book documents the moral and practical shortcomings of a society's excessive reliance on institutionalized arrangements designed to address the consequences of 'social problems.' These problems, however, are largely created by that society's failure to invest in humane and just approaches to promote the care, support, inclusion, and well-being of all individuals in the first place. This is powerfully written, highly readable, lucid, and down-to-earth yet scholarly and up to date and constructively critical." - Leroy H. Pelton, Professor, School of Social Work, University of Nevada, Las Vegas

From the Publisher