The Family Ethic: The Female Pauper and Public Aid, Pre-1900

Abstract

That relief policies regulate the lives of men and women differently is not well known. Concerns about the impact of relief on the able-bodied male have been generalized to the female pauper, leaving her story untold. This article suggests that the welfare state regulates women through a "family ethic" that parallels the work ethic known to shape the relationship between the welfare state and men. The "family ethic" is defined and applied to public aid programs from colonial America to the turn of the century. Implications for present-day social policy are suggested.

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