Engendering Citizenship? A Critical Feminist Analysis of Canadian Welfare-to-Work Policies and the Employment Experiences of Lone Mothers

Authors

Rhonda S. Breitkreuz, University of Alberta

Keywords

Citizenship, gender, lone mothers, welfare-to-work

Abstract

Like other liberal-welfare states, Canada, in a climate of balanced budgets and deficit reduction, has been active in developing policies intended to move welfare recipients into employment in order to achieve selfsufficiency. The purpose of this paper is to employ a critical feminist analysis to examine the extent to which these policies, developed under the ideological umbrella of neo-liberalism, are gender sensitive. Literature on the economic and non-economic impacts of welfare-to-work policies is reviewed to evaluate whether these initiatives, while mandating lone-mothers into employment, recognize the gendered nature of work, employment and poverty. Gaps in current research are identified and questions are posed about the implications of welfare-to-work on the citizenship entitlements of low-income lone mothers.

Recommended Citation

Breitkreuz, Rhonda S. (2005) "Engendering Citizenship? A Critical Feminist Analysis of Canadian Welfare-to-Work Policies and the Employment Experiences of Lone Mothers," The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare: Vol. 32: Iss. 2, Article 10.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15453/0191-5096.3076
Available at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/jssw/vol32/iss2/10