Mexican immigrants more likely to move from welfare to work
Friday, July 24, 2009Prior to welfare reform, Mexican immigrants were more likely than other groups to transition from welfare to work, particularly in states that provided more generous welfare benefits, according to sociologists. "This research refutes welfare reform assumptions that immigrants and disadvantaged native citizens seek out and maintain welfare assistance for the same reasons," said Jennifer Van Hook, associate professor of sociology and demography at Penn State. "In the case of Mexican immigrants, welfare seems to be used primarily to minimize the effects of gaps in employment, not to avoid work or perpetuate dependency." Using samples of 4,071 racially diverse immigrant women and 9,265 white or black native women from the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), Van Hook and Frank D. Bean, University of California-Irvine, analyzed longitudinal data from the 1990 through 1993 annual SIPP panels. The research underscores the importance of taking cultural considerations into account in explaining immigrant welfare behaviors. (more)