Having Their Say: Rural Mothers Talk about Welfare

Abstract The public's perception of persons who rely on public assistance is generally negative. The surprising element is that mothers who are themselves reliant on welfare also hold these negative attitudes. This paper explored the attitudes toward and experiences with welfare of rural low income mothers using data from the Rural Families Speak longitudinal, multi‐state project. Consistent with prior research, the majority of rural mothers spoke disparagingly of those relying on “welfare.” They saw themselves in a different light because they were in need and they used “public assistance” to help their families survive. The rural mothers also spoke of incidents in which they and their family members had experienced discrimination due to their use of welfare benefits.