[thechat] [ugh]

[Erika Meyer]

Adrian wrote:
>the US government no longer does it -- as a matter pf policy...
>women got the vote, most laws banning women in some way have
>been repealed, and even government-sponsored organizations take
>heat for not letting women in (like the Boy Scouts)...

true... but it gets a bit fuzzy in welfare reform.
most TANF recipients are women.

part of the explicit goal of welfare reform is to modify sexual and
social behavior:
http://www.agi-usa.org/pubs/ib_welfare_reform.html
via education about how to abstain from sexual activity outside of marriage.

It isn't clear that this "educational" program is based on any real
understanding of the root causes of poverty.

When I was in this situation, I felt suppressed as I was expected (by
DSS, a government agency) to seek low-level jobs and actively
discouraged from seeking the type of work/education that would really
get me out of poverty.

So yes, I felt suppressed.  Maybe mild suppression, but still crazy-making.

E
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