Fewer Mothers Receiving Assistance Than In 1996

Even though participation in government assistance programs has risen a little in recent years for mothers who have given birth in the last year, participation is still lower than it was when welfare reform was enacted in 1996. According to a report by the U.S. Census Bureau, the mothers who were most likely to receive assistance were younger than 25, living with either no other adult or an unmarried partner, a minority, did not work in the past month, never attended college, or did not receive child support. In 2004, 7.5 million mothers of childbearing age (15 to 44) participated in at least one of six different public assistance programs. [U.S. Census Bureau]