Chicago School economists blamed the welfare state, not feminism, for family breakdown

Evidence

Becker believed that such dramatic changes in the structure of the family had more to do with the expansion of the welfare state in the postwar era than with feminism per se—which could be considered a consequence rather than an instigator of these dynamics. Like many of his contemporaries, both neoliberals and neoconservatives, Becker singled out AFDC (Aid to Families with Dependent Children)—the “poor woman’s alimony”—as one of the primary causes of the breakdown of the family. — Dieter Plehwe, Quinn Slobodian & Philip Mirowski (eds.), Nine Lives of Neoliberalism, 210

Categorization

• XREF: Links to the broader reading goal: this reverses the crude caricature that neoliberals were pro-welfare-state-critics on purely fiscal grounds, showing they had a moralized family agenda. — connects to: Neoliberal welfare attacks racialized dependency and framed the family as women’s natural sphere — Jessica Whyte, The Morals of the Market: Human Rights…, 175; Chicago economists and neoconservatives united to oppose welfare, especially to single mothers — Jessica Whyte, The Morals of the Market: Human Rights…, 991; Neoliberals attacked welfare as a threat to family, race, and dignity — Jessica Whyte, The Morals of the Market: Human Rights…, 178 (+3 more)
• QUESTION: Worth chasing: how much did Becker’s welfare-blame thesis actually shape later policy, versus serving as post-hoc justification?

Broader Connections

• Chicago economists and neoconservatives united to oppose welfare, especially to single mothers #qualifies (0.80) — Jessica Whyte, The Morals of the Market, 991
• Neoliberal welfare attacks racialized dependency and framed the family as women’s natural sphere #contradicts (0.75) — Jessica Whyte, The Morals of the Market, 175
• Neoliberals attacked welfare as a threat to family, race, and dignity #qualifies (0.75) — Jessica Whyte, The Morals of the Market, 178
• Women’s independence from men, not state dependence, drove welfare backlash #corroborates (0.72) — Dieter Plehwe, Quinn Slobodian & Philip Mirowski (eds.), Nine Lives of Neoliberalism, 227
• American welfare opponents framed socialized risk as a threat to family morality #expands (0.70)