Multiearner families have extra protection against financial reversals, but economic recession tends to erode this cushion. During the most recent downturn, employment of married women declined less than that of married men who are more likely to work in cyclically sensitive industries. (JOW)

Examines the effects of long-term unemployment on families, marital relationships, and children. Discusses impact of financial hardship, stress, and emotional upheaval as they affect family systems. Presents counseling interventions for addressing needs of children in these families. Includes 54 citations. (Author/CRR)

Over 35 million Americans were officially poor in 1983, 15.2 percent of the total population-the highest figures since the mid-1960s. Some attribute continued poverty to government social welfare policies. But poverty among the nonelderly is linked much more to economic trends. The number in poverty dropped from 39.5 million (22.4 percent of the…

The number of employed Americans increased but so did the number of those without jobs, as recovery from the 1980 recession proved to be brief; the family income of high-wage workers exceeded the poverty level, even when unemployed. (Author/SSH)

Five papers which criticize Charles Murray's book, "Losing Ground: American Social Policy 1950-1980" are presented in this report. In general, the papers dispute Murray's thesis that the poor did not benefit from social policies but were, instead, substantially harmed by these programs. The papers (and their authors) are: (1)…

Dramatic demographic and socioeconomic shifts have occurred in rural areas over the last decade, increasing poverty among America's rural population. Analysis of the Census Bureau's Current Population Survey indicates that outmigration from rural areas, which has grown steadily since 1980, reached almost 1,000,000 between 1986 to 1987. Those…

The moral and ethical values enunciated by America's leading religious organizations lay much of the groundwork for its major democratic institutions and establish the benchmarks by which U.S. employment conditions and policies should be measured. The public's perception of the economy's relative well-being is based on oversimplified statistical…

This publication highlights key messages and themes of a conference to discuss critical questions, challenges, and opportunities facing California's welfare and workforce development systems. It is intended as a resource manual that presents the most up-to-date thinking on how policies and services can be designed to better meet the needs of…

Social statistics may exaggerate the degree of hardship caused by labor market problems. Yet, in many ways social statistics underestimate the degree of hardship caused by extended unemployment, underemployment, and low wages. Therefore, new measures are needed to reassess long-term and cyclical labor market developments, the changing status of…