Stereotype of a Welfare Mother
Racism and Patriarchy Alter the Meaning of Motherhood
A perfect mother does not exist. A good mother loves her children unconditionally and is willing to go through any means in order to provide for them. Even when a mother considers herself perfect, society will still label her as deviant. Dorothy Roberts explained how Black women experience various forms of oppression simultaneously, as a complex interaction of race, gender, and class. All women are oppressed due to patriarchy. However, Black women are scrutinized to a greater extent due to their race, gender, and class. No matter what a Black mother does, she will always be considered deviant compared to a White mother.
Patriarchy and Motherhood
Patriarchy’s meaning of motherhood is defined as serving the interest of men. A mother is considered deviant if she fails to follow the ideals of a patriarchy system. Within a patriarchal society, women are expected to marry, raise a family, and care for their home. While women’s concern is the well-being of their family, the men’s concern is making sure they are able to financially support. The presence of a male figure in a family is highly stressed because it is believed that women are more likely to live in poverty without a male figure. Deviant women are blamed for denying their children a father figure, and also for exposing their children to poverty.
Racism and Motherhood
Dorothy Robert analyzed how patriarchy affected both White and Black motherhood. Black women not only had to deal with patriarchy, but also with racist labels. Black mothers were considered deviant for obtaining welfare and refusing to marry. However, Roberts did not mention society’s view on White mothers using welfare. Did society believe that White mothers did not use welfare?
Barbra Morrison is an example of a White mother who had no other option, but to obtain welfare in order to provide for her children. She mentioned how she grew up in an upper-middle-class family where welfare was considered a refugee for lazy bums who could not be bothered to take responsibility for themselves. More than likely, Barbra’s family never imagined she would be in a position to need welfare considering she grew up in a middle class family. Barbra was not a Black women and still had to recruit welfare.
Black Mothers, Welfare Queens?
Due to racism, Black women have been labeled as welfare queens. A welfare queen is a black women on public assistance who supposedly steals money from taxpayers and does not contribute anything to society. Welfare queens are believed to have a numerous amount of children in order to increase their welfare check. It is a stereotype that is imposed on Black women rather than White women because it is believed that White women do not obtain welfare. However, according to an assistance program, 34% of White households receive welfare help, while Black households make up 23% of welfare recipients. In this case, if White households are receiving more food stamps than Black households, why are only Black mothers being considered welfare queens? It is both White and Black women who seek welfare, but only Black mothers are being labeled. Black women will continue to be labeled as welfare queens as long as they are denied the opportunity to find a stable job and get out of poverty. Society refuses to admit that Black women want to improve their lifestyle and instead continue to see them as taking advantage of the system.
Success Without a Man’s Help
A patriarchal society believed that a women’s well-being was due to a man’s care. Women were told that as long as they married, they would have everything they needed. Barbra was able to defeat poverty without the help of a man, it was a struggle, but I did it, all on my own. I never did remarry. She knew that marriage was the easiest way out of welfare, but instead she decided to go back to school and become a teacher. Unsatisfied, she returned back to school to become a computer technician. Barbra was able to surpass all the negative connotations that came with the word welfare mother. She proved that she did not need a male figure in order to raise a family. She was able to defeat all stereotypes that came with being a welfare mom and was able to get her kids through college.
Labels for One, Labels for All
It is very unfair that Black women are the only ones being labeled as welfare queens, while White women are obtaining more help without the label. Statistics have proven that White women use welfare more than Black women. No women should be given a negative label, while trying to provide for there family. If Black women are labeled as Welfare queens, White women should be labeled as well. Mothers should not be pressured into marriage in order to avoid poverty. Women are just as capable as men to raise a family on there own.
