TANF Participants and Work: Examining Intimate Partner Violence As a Barrier to Self-Sufficiency

Background and Purpose: Domestic violence has long been shown to be a primary barrier to employment for women in poverty. It is estimated that women in the United States lose 8 million days of paid employment each year due to intimate partner violence. For recipients of Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF), who are required to participate in work-related activities, experiences of domestic violence can threaten their ability to meet work requirements and result in sanctions, particularly if they are not afforded exemptions to these requirements through a domestic violence option (DVO). Research indicates that a majority of TANF recipients have experienced intimate partner violence in their lifetimes, with 20-30% of women currently experiencing abuse. Further, TANF recipients are often required to provide the name of their abuser in order to continue receiving benefits or utilize the DVO, thus potentially increasing their level of risk and stress. The purpose of the current study was to assess the effect of domestic violence on self-sufficiency in a sample of TANF participants.

Methods: A comprehensive biannual evaluation of one southern state’s TANF cash assistance program was conducted. As part of the evaluation process, a mail survey instrument was created and mailed to 2,000 randomly selected TANF recipients who had received financial assistance during 2010 or 2011.  Approximately 60 questions were asked of respondents in several different areas, one of which was domestic violence. A set of six questions was utilized to determine if participants were ever in a physically violent relationship, had experienced violence in the past year, had sustained physical injury as a result of domestic violence, and/or were ever the physically aggressive person in the relationship.

Results: The majority of the sample was female (96.7%), non-white (74.1%), and not married (87.8%). Thirty-five percent of respondents had experienced physical violence by an intimate partner, and almost 11% had experienced physical violence within the past year. Almost 18% of respondents reported sustaining a physical injury and 11% reported trouble working due to domestic violence. Non-parametric correlation analysis indicated negative, significant correlations between a respondent’s experience of physical violence by a partner and each of the following: employment status (p= .002); age (p=.004); race (p=.000); number of children (p= .010), and level of education (p=.042). Women who reported physical violence by an intimate partner were less likely to be employed, were younger, had fewer children, and reported lower levels of education. Interestingly, in this study, white respondents were more likely than expected to experience physical violence.

Conclusion:TANF recipients who are physically abused by an intimate partner fare worse on a number of measures of self-sufficiency than do recipients who report no abuse. Although domestic violence is just one of many barriers to self-sufficiency for poor women, the lack of access to employment can have dire consequences for women reliant upon TANF benefits. This study clearly indicates a need to further explore the linkages between domestic violence, especially current and on-going violence, access to employment, and other barriers to self-sufficiency for TANF recipients.