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CUNY SPH Associate Professor Diana Romero contributed to a section of a new textbook examining the multiple forms of contemporary families, the many issues facing families, the policies that regulate families, and how families—and family life—have become politicized. The section touches upon the punitive nature and ineffectiveness of policies that seek to discourage poor women from having children.
The textbook, The State of Families: Law, Policy, and the Meanings of Relationships, covers a broad range of issues and policies related to family composition and experiences that have wide relevance for public health. Dr. Romero and co-author Madina Agénor, Assistant Professor at Tufts University, remind us that even though welfare reform occurred over two decades ago in the U.S., many of the policies are still in place despite having been shown to be ineffective and/or detrimental. One such policy is the welfare ‘family cap,” which denies women receiving welfare additional cash assistance when they give birth to a new baby. Currently 17 states have implemented some type of family cap or child exclusion.
“This anthology is a rich compilation of research and scholarly commentary on myriad issues related to the social, economic, and legal well-being of families, which clearly overlap with many public health concerns,” Romero says. “Our contribution on the welfare ‘family cap’ policy sits squarely at the intersection of poverty policy, social and reproductive justice, and human rights.”
Purchase The State of Families: Law, Policy, and the Meanings of Relationships here.
