WOMEN AND FEDERAL PROGRAM PARTICIPATION (CONT’D)
Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) is the Federal-and-State
funded program that provides cash assistance and work opportunities
to needy families. In 1996, TANF replaced the national
welfare program known as Aid to Families with Dependent
Children
(AFDC) and related initiatives known as the Job Opportunities
and Basic Skills Training (JOBS) program and the Emergency
Assistance (EA) program. The overarching goals of TANF
are to move recipients into work and turn welfare into
a program
of temporary assistance with a lifetime maximum allowance
of 5 years.
In Fiscal Year 2000, adult TANF recipients
numbered 1.6 million, of whom 1.4 million were women
(90 percent). Females
using
the TANF program were largely dominated by young and
middle-aged women, with three-quarters of adult female
recipients between
20 and 39 years of age. Among adult female TANF recipients,
nearly 27 percent were employed (compared to 25.1 percent
of male recipients), 49.3 percent were not employed,
and the remaining 24.2 percent were not in the labor force.
In
2000, the average amount of monthly assistance provided
through TANF was $349. Some TANF families with children
who were not employed also received assistance in the
form of
child care and transportation. Of TANF families who
were employed, the average monthly non-TANF income was
$580.
Supplemental
Security Income (SSI) is another public assistance program
that provides support to low-income and disabled
persons. In 2001, 61.6 percent of adults receiving federally-administered
SSI payments were women. The majority of adult females
receiving SSI payments were under age 65.
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