Welfare Reasons
Reasons for Welfare
Introduction to Welfare Reasons
In any society, not all people are able to work. Societies recognize that the very young and old have limited capacities to perform work, as do people with severe mental or physical disabilities. In some cases, there are not enough employment opportunities for everyone who is capable and interested in working. Welfare is a means by which societies help support these segments of the population.
In a free-market economy, such as that of the United States and most other nations, a certain percentage of capable, working-age adults will always be unemployed. Unemployment rates vary regionally and from season to season, as technology and desirable job skills change, and as workforces grow or diminish. Unemployment rates also vary considerably from country to country. For example, in late 2002, the unemployment rate was 5.3 percent in Japan and 8.8 percent in France.
Long-term economic changes have also weakened social support systems, which in turn has increased the need for social welfare programs. Into the 19th century, many people lived in large extended families that worked together for generations on family farms. The size of the family-which could include grandparents, cousins, and other relatives-and its stability were important for farm production. During the 19th and 20th centuries, countries around the world shifted from primarily agrarian (farming) to primarily industrial economies. In the late 20th century, some of these nations shifted again and became primarily postindustrial (service- and information-based) economies.
Wherever these shifts occurred, the tradition of people living in large families began to disappear. Many people began living in smaller families, consisting of only married couples and their children. Industrial and postindustrial jobs-in factories, retail stores, and offices-often depend on flexible and mobile workers. Since most of these jobs are away from the home, people must seek work and take it where it is offered. They may have to commute long distances from home to work, and they may have to relocate with certain jobs. Most people in developed countries today have completely separate family and work lives. Small, flexible families are better suited to these kinds of work patterns. Small families do not, however, provide the kind of social support that extended families do. In addition, many countries have a growing number of single-parent households-which provide even less support than do typical nuclear families-and increasing numbers of people living alone.
Fundamental changes in the global economy also create welfare needs. In the second half of the 20th century, capital, expertise, and trade moved across national boundaries with increasing ease, creating both opportunities and risks. Businesses began moving low-skill jobs to countries that could provide cheap labor. They also created many new, higher-skill jobs, such as those in technological and scientific research and computer programming. These changes have affected both developed and developing nations. They often require that people move, learn new skills, or dramatically alter their living arrangements for work. Such shifts leave people in situations where they may need a safety net.” (1)
Education and Social Welfare
Includes Aging, Children, Civil Rights, Community Development, Crime, Demography, Disabled Persons, Disaster Assistance, Equal Opportunity, Housing, Homeless, Human Rights, Juvenile Delinquency, Minorities, Native American, Rehabilitation, Rural and Urban Development, Social Security, Suicide, Vocational Education, Welfare, Women.
Resources
Notes and References
- Information about Welfare Reasons in the Encarta Online Encyclopedia
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