Epstein’s Welfare In America

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of the reliance upon Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC)…forty-two percent of all new spells on AFDC are associated with an unmarried mother becoming a head of household.” (Epstein 111) To prove that inequality exists in society we need to define the conflict theory and compare and contrast it to the problems of welfare.
The conflict theory or perspective is the view of society that focuses on social processes of tension, competition, and change. (Robertson, 19) The view of conflict was developed by Karl Marx; a man who saw society as a constant source of change. Sociologists and theorists like Marx automatically believe that society is always changing and that conflict among groups of people is inevitable.
The conflict among groups becomes very significant when social problems like welfare start to disrupt the natural flow of society. Wisconsin, the first state to develop the “Wisconsin Works” (W-2’s) welfare program to replace AFDC, has been severely ...

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If we understand the following stipulations, then we can decide who should be excluded, and hence incensed at the way the government determines who needs welfare. The parameters of federal welfare and W-2 welfare are as follows: “the head of every family on welfare must work within two years or lose benefits; lifetime benefits will be limited to five years; states can provide payments to unmarried teenage parents only if mother is under age 18, stays in school and lives with an adult; future legal immigrants will be ineligible for most federal benefits during their first five years in the United States; states must provide Medicaid for anyone who qualifies under current law; and food ...

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