This policy brief explores the position of women in the labor force over the past 25 years. Across all labor categories, the number of women in the workforce has increased, and the male/female wage gap has narrowed. Less-skilled women currently…

In 2002, 2.3 million youth were arrested for committing crimes. Specifically, low-income urban neighborhoods experience higher rates of juvenile delinquency. These high-risk youth experiences problems in school, in the workforce, and developing…

This research project, an intensive study in Boston, Chicago, and San Antonio, assesses the well-being of low-income children and families in the post-welfare reform era. The project examines strategies families have…

This article, from the Urban Institute, evaluates trends in child poverty across the country in the past ten years. Child poverty rates experienced a sharp decline from 1993 to 2000, but increased from 2000 to 2004. The trends show that the State…

Helping low-income families in rural areas find gainful employment and achieve economic self-sufficiency is an ongoing policy concern. The Rural Welfare-to-Work Strategies demonstration is using rigorous experimental designs to build knowledge…

This paper addresses how common are experiences of material hardship over time within a sample of clients on welfare, and if women experience multiple hardships. Based on the Women's Employment Study, this study reviews six forms of hardship…

This article reviews information on transitional jobs programs around the country to address barriers to help low-income parents achieve work. Often time, these programs are focused around serving clients with multiple barriers, and they have had…

This resource provides results from a 2-year follow-up of a Texas job retention and advancement program for TANF recipients. Implemented in Corpus Christi, Houston, and Fort Worth, this study found that while pre-employment services were…

This article for the NGA Center on Best Practices reviews why reading and literacy activities are important for States. Literary readers have been shown to be more likely than nonreaders to pursue social and civic activities such as volunteering…

This article reviews a project designed to provide welfare recipients working 20 hours a week with an education program at a local community college. The 24 week program included mathematics, English, computer skills, as well as life skills…