Date of Award
5-2009
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
M.A.
Degree Program
Sociology
Department
Sociology
Major Professor
Luft, Rachel E.
Second Advisor
Jenkins, Pamela
Third Advisor
Raabe, Phyllis H.
Abstract
Mothers of children with disabilities face a variety of problems compared to other mothers, but their experiences are not universal. This thesis provides a critical analysis of caregiving and disability by examining the experiences of a group of low-income African American mothers with children with disabilities. It explores the impacts of race, class, gender, and disability on mothers' experiences in the context of conflicting employment and caregiving demands for poor women. Drawing on in-depth qualitative interviews with ten low-income African American mothers of children with disabilities, I illustrate how the struggles of raising a child with a disability are amplified in the face of race and class inequalities. As a result, these women redefine the notion of personal responsibility and employ a series of survival strategies.
Recommended Citation
Balot, Michelle Magee, "Redefining Responsibility: Welfare Reform, Low-Income African American Mothers, and Children with Disabilities" (2009). University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations. 957.
https://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/957
Rights
The University of New Orleans and its agents retain the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible this dissertation or thesis in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. The author retains all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis or dissertation.