Labor Supply Decisions of Rural Low-Income Mothers

Labor force participation is crucial to the economic well-being of low-income rural families. This study identified the factors that influence two decisions that low-income rural mothers make regarding their employment: labor force entry and number of hours supplied to employment. The sample consisted of 412 rural low-income mothers who participated in a multi-state study. The logistic regression model correctly predicted 80 percent of their work participation decisions. Employed rural mothers appeared to be older, better educated, and less likely to suffer from depression compared to those not working. Additionally, they were more likely to have an employed partner, a driver’s license, child care assistance, and Earned Income Tax Credit from the previous year. The estimated labor supply function explained 33 percent of the variation in hours worked by the 208 employed rural mothers. Higher wages, availability of health insurance, and overtime benefits predicted the number of hours that these employed mothers were willing to work.Rural Low-income Mothers, Labor Force Participation, Women’s Labor Supply, Welfare Reform

Labor Supply Decisions of Rural Low-Income Mothers

Labor force participation is crucial to the economic well-being of low-income rural families. This study identified the factors that influence two decisions that low-income rural mothers make regarding their employment: labor force entry and number of hours supplied to employment. The sample consisted of 412 rural low-income mothers who participated in a multi-state study. The logistic regression model correctly predicted 80 percent of their work participation decisions. Employed rural mothers appeared to be older, better educated, and less likely to suffer from depression compared to those not working. Additionally, they were more likely to have an employed partner, a driver’s license, child care assistance, and Earned Income Tax Credit from the previous year. The estimated labor supply function explained 33 percent of the variation in hours worked by the 208 employed rural mothers. Higher wages, availability of health insurance, and overtime benefits predicted the number of hours that these employed mothers were willing to work

Labor Supply Decisions of Rural Low-Income Mothers

Labor force participation is crucial to the economic well-being of low-income rural families. This study identified the factors that influence two decisions that low-income rural mothers make regarding their employment: labor force entry and number of hours supplied to employment. The sample consisted of 412 rural low-income mothers who participated in a multi-state study. The logistic regression model correctly predicted 80 percent of their work participation decisions. Employed rural mothers appeared to be older, better educated, and less likely to suffer from depression compared to those not working. Additionally, they were more likely to have an employed partner, a driver's license, child care assistance, and Earned Income Tax Credit from the previous year. The estimated labor supply function explained 33 percent of the variation in hours worked by the 208 employed rural mothers. Higher wages, availability of health insurance, and overtime benefits predicted the number of hours that these employed mothers were willing to work

The Bumpy Road off TANF for Rural Mothers

ABSTRACT. Rural welfare mothers receiving Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) have a difficult time reaching economic security and lessening their reliance on benefits because of the impediments they face regarding employment opportunities, transportation, child care resources, and more. This article focuses on 62 rural mothers, each receiving TANF at some point during the three year Rural Families Speak study. By their third-year interview, only 11 of the 62 mothers had household incomes above 150% of poverty for their family size. These 11 achieved success through educational training in fields offering livable wages. The other 51 mothers were struggling to overcome barriers such as poor health and lack of transportation. The rural economy was a barrier faced by both the successful and non-successful mothers. Mothers representing those who got off TANF and those who did not were both profiled. Their words add to the quantitative findings. Rural residents face barriers measurably different from their urban counterparts, and policy makers have not considered rural-urban differences in creating TANF regulations. The barriers and pathways identified in this study should inform future public policy decisions

Labor Force Supply Decisions of Rural Low-Income Mothers

Labor force participation, Rural low-income mothers, Women’s labor supply,