Premium
Work Barriers in the Context of Pathways to the Employment of Welfare‐to‐Work Clients
Author(s) -
Lee Shawna J.,
Vinokur Amiram D.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
american journal of community psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.113
H-Index - 112
eISSN - 1573-2770
pISSN - 0091-0562
DOI - 10.1007/s10464-007-9144-x
Subject(s) - welfare , work (physics) , context (archaeology) , psychological intervention , health psychology , structural equation modeling , quality (philosophy) , business , labour economics , psychology , demographic economics , economics , public health , medicine , nursing , engineering , computer science , philosophy , epistemology , psychiatry , market economy , biology , machine learning , mechanical engineering , paleontology
The ability of welfare‐to‐work clients to leave the welfare rolls and stay in the labor force is often limited by the work barriers they face. Using a sample of 1,404 female welfare‐to‐work clients we first examined the structure of work barriers and then tested their contribution to current work status in the context of a structural equation model that incorporated other central pathways to employment. Whereas work barriers included diverse factors ranging from lack of transportation to low quality jobs, they were shown to constitute a uni‐dimensional construct. Furthermore, work barriers had a net adverse effect on employment outcomes, controlling for job search self‐efficacy and employment intention. We conclude with discussion of implications for the development of welfare‐to‐work programs and interventions that target low‐income women.