RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Fixing a Leaky U.S. Social Safety Net: Diapers, Policy, and Low-Income Families
JF RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences
FD Russell Sage Foundation
SP 166
OP 183
DO 10.7758/RSF.2022.8.5.08
VO 8
IS 5
A1 Jennifer Randles
YR 2022
UL http://www.rsfjournal.org/content/8/5/166.abstract
AB Changing work, family, and policy trends converged to increase diaper need in recent decades. Safety net programs do not cover diapers, and diaper policy proposals have met limited success. Based on interviews with seventy mothers who experienced diaper need, this article examines how diapers shape low-income parents’ caregiving and why income and public aid are not always enough to cover diapers. Mothers described stigma associated with lacking diapers and mixed experiences seeking diaper support. These experiences suggest effective policy responses, including diaper vouchers and extending changes to tax credit policies.