"They Look at You like You're Less Than": Black Women's Experiences with Narratives of Deservingness in Public Assistance Programs in California

Background and Purpose

Though created to support people in need of financial assistance, the design of public assistance programs in the United States reflect the negative narratives around poverty and use of public benefits, specifically narratives of “deservingness.” Narratives of poverty are rooted in racism, sexism, and the deep-seated American beliefs of individualism and “pulling yourself up by your bootstraps”and have historically targeted Black women, as illustrated in the “welfare queen” trope. These narratives are often transmitted to users of public assistance programs not only through the policies and procedures they must endure when seeking services but also through their experiences interacting with case workers. These programs are, therefore, highly stigmatized, and people can experience harm when engaging with these programs. This study explores how Black women who have participated in California’s public assistance programs, experience these narratives when accessing services.

Methods

Using a semi-structured interview guide, we interviewed 18 Black women between the ages of 18-46 years old who have used CalWorks (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families), CalFresh (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) or WIC (Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children) in the past five years about their experiences with negative narratives when accessing public assistance. Interviews occurred either on Zoom or by phone, and were audio-recorded and transcribed. We used reflexive thematic analysis to guide coding and theme development.

Results

Many participants described feeling shame and stigma when accessing services, driven by societal stereotypes that depict public assistance recipients as dependent or undeserving. The fear of judgment based on these stereotypes made some participants reluctant to seek assistance. Moreover, participants reported negative interactions with caseworkers and faced bureaucratic obstacles that seemed designed to reinforce these derogatory stereotypes, making them feel “less than.” Additionally, many participants described that they often feel pressured by the societal expectation to be a “strong Black woman,” and this pressure, or the feeling that one shouldn’t ask for help, was reinforced by negative experiences at public assistance offices, furthering shame and stigma when they did have to seek out assistance. Participants described hearing these narratives from family, friends, neighbors, the media, and teachers.

Participants also described experiencing racism and discrimination while seeking services, though subtle rather than overt acts of racism. Nonetheless, participants described these experiences as emotionally taxing but acknowledged that these experiences are only a fraction of the systemic and structural racism Black people have endured.

Conclusions and Implications

These findings suggest that the racist, sexist, and individualist narratives about poverty are embedded in public assistance programs and are transmitted to recipients through their policies and practices. While additional training for caseworkers and other staff may offer a short-term improvement, the issues identified in this research stem from deeper systemic and structural problems within public assistance. Comprehensive reform to public assistance is needed, including critically interrogating and uprooting the ways racist, sexist, and individualist narratives show up in public assistance policies and practices.