Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management

Substantial research has studied on welfare participation and employment outcomes among single mothers after welfare reform. However, few studies have examined multiple program participation. It is critical to explore how multiple safety net programs protect the well-being of single-mother families because they often rely on the benefits of bundling income supports. Moreover, prior research has examined employment and earnings patterns at one point in time or over short periods of time. Only few studies have examined employment and earnings trajectories over long periods of time. Even fewer studies consider relationship between multiple program participation and long-term employment/earnings trajectories. The inadequate measures on multiple program participation and longitudinal employment outcomes limit our understanding of the diverse pathways that lead to long-term economic success among single mothers. We need to know which configurations of multiple program participation are associated with stability of employment and earnings over time.

This study aims to (1) examine patterns of multiple program participation among low-income single-mother families over time; (2) analyze employment and earnings trajectories of low-income single mothers over time; (3) investigate whether patterns of multiple program participation vary by employment and earnings trajectory groups. This study improves measures of program participation and employment outcomes by using five-year longitudinal data to capture the variations in income packages by employment/earnings trajectories.

Methods

This study uses the 2008 (Wave 1 through Wave 15) of the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) panel to address the research aims. The sample includes 18-64 years old low-income single mothers with at least one related child under the age of 18 living in the household. Each sample has a maximum of sixty monthly employment and earnings data points to identify patterns in individual employment and earnings trajectories. The sample was limited to respondents who were interviewed in all 15 waves (N=870). We group income support programs into three categories: means-tested cash programs, means-tested in-kind programs, and contribution-based insurance programs. Weighted descriptive statistics are used to examine patterns of multiple program participation and to categorize the employment and earnings trajectories. Moreover, we analyze the multiple program participation rates by employment and earning trajectory groups over time.

Results

The results indicate that multiple program participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Unemployment Insurance increases over time. Substantial low-income single mothers are unable to sustain employment and have low-earnings. Our results highlight the importance of considering the level, trend, and stability of employment and earnings in categorizing employment and earnings success. The substantial variation in multiple program participation among different employment and earnings trajectory groups suggests the need for packaging income and work supports for single-mother families.

Policy Implications

Using nationally representative longitudinal data, this study generates rich and informative knowledge on how patterns of multiple program participation vary by employment and earnings trajectory groups. It will inform policy decisions on how combining different income support packages may increase the economic stability and reduce poverty of one of the most economically-vulnerable populations in the United States—single-mother families.