Safety Nets of Single Mothers: How Do They Evolve Over Time?

Background and Purpose: Informal social support is important to the survival of individuals living in poverty, especially single mothers of young children (Edin & Lein, 1997). Access to informal support is positively related to health and mental health outcomes (Turner & Turner, 1999), material well-being (Henly, Danziger, & Offer, 2005), employment, and earnings (Harknett, 2006). Informal support may be particularly helpful to single mothers who have just given birth and evidence suggests that family and friends step up to help new mothers (Nichols, Elman, & Felman, 2007). Mothers, however, do not have equal access to supports; non-Hispanic Whites, for example, report greater social support than their Black and Hispanic counterparts (Jayakody, 1998). It is unclear whether such differences in support persist in the years following a birth. Using longitudinal data, this study addresses the availability of informal support among single mothers by (1) describing trajectories of perceived support over a five-year period and (2) considering whether support trajectories differ by mother's race and ethnicity.

Methods: This study uses the Fragile Families and Child Well-being Study, a nationally-representative, longitudinal study of predominantly urban, unwed mothers. Baseline data were collected in hospitals within days of the child's birth with telephone follow-up interviews one, three, and five years later. We constructed a dichotomous measure of perceived support based on whether mothers reported access to $200, a place to live, and childcare in case of an emergency. Longitudinal data analysis used mixed effects models, an innovative technique allowing us to examine both fixed and random effects simultaneously. We measured (1) initial safety net differences among mothers measured at each data point and (2) differential rates of change. Models controlled for background characteristics, family and non-family support, and economic indicators.

Findings: Descriptive findings showed that 47% of single mothers did not perceive access to a complete safety net to meet financial, housing, and child care needs at least once during their child's first five years, indicating their financial vulnerability. Across all time points, significantly more Whites (83%) than Blacks (74%) or Hispanics (76%) reported access to a complete safety net. Mixed effects models indicated that perceived support declined over time, falling most precipitously between birth and year 1, when the percentage of mothers reporting a complete net fell from 85% to 75%. Although attenuation of perceived support characterized single mothers generally, Black and Hispanic mothers reported steeper declines in support over time compared to their White counterparts. The significance and strength of this interaction between race/ethnicity and time remained unchanged with inclusion of background, family, and economic controls.

Implications: That perceived safety nets deteriorate over time suggests that informal support systems cannot substitute for social welfare assistance. Further, the disadvantaged circumstances into which Black and Hispanic children are born are compounded by the lower levels of support their mothers perceive and the more rapid deterioration of their mothers' safety nets in early childhood. We discuss safety net inequalities in light of welfare reform and present implications for social work practice, policy, and research.