WMNST 101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Unearned Income, Dysfunctional Family
Document Summary
Poverty often explained as resulting from low self-esteem laziness and dysfunctional families. Often talk about race at expense of class. Micro and meso level: marriage provides recognition, validation and status. Macro level: material bene ts in terms of taxes, health insurance pension rights ease of inheritance and immigration status. Less women are getting married and more of them are getting married at an older age. Institutionalization of inequalities between women and men. Demands for gay marriage in interest of equal treatment for lgbtq and heterosexual couples provide interesting counterweight to feminist critiques of marriage as inherently patriarchal. Others have argued against assimilationist approach on ground that it involves racial constructed ideas of sexual respectability and citizenship. Defense against marriage act (1996) excludes same sex couples from receiving federal protections and rights of marriage. Even if some states allow gay marriage the act blocks gay partners from receiving federal bene ts. Reasoned that prwora would lift single mothers out of poverty.
