The welfare queen stereotype drove cuts to social services harming black women

Evidence

Generally speaking, there is a history of scrutinizing women of color’s bodies for deviation from cultural norms, while men of color are surveilled for being dangerous and violent. In the mid-­1970s, black women began to be vilified as welfare queens who extorted government resources instead of trying to secure work. The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliatory Act of 1996 (PRWORA) greatly reformed welfare by requiring recipients to find employment in exchange for limited assistance from the state. This policy reflected the prominent racial attitude that black women were abusing the welfare system and having multiple children out of wedlock, ignoring the structural issues that low income black women encountered that prevented them from gaining access to decent health care and employment that pays a livable wage. The impact of the cultural stereotype of black women as lazy, gaming the government, and having multiple children out of wedlock resulted in a reduction in social services that were meant to offset the inequity they experienced due to centuries of institutionalized racism. — , Selod, Saher - Forever Suspect_…, 98

Categorization

• XREF: Historical precedent that the gendered surveillance of Muslim women is patterned on; parallels the ‘welfare queen’ narrative deployed against black women. — connects to: The 1996 welfare reform law grew from stereotypes of black women abusing the system.; Cultural stereotypes about race and gender directly reduced welfare provision — , Selod, Saher - Forever Suspect_…, 98; Negative stereotypes block Black women from developing positive self-concepts — bell hooks, Ain’t I a Woman_ Black Women and…, 246
• recurring: this claim recurs 2 times within its source

Broader Connections

• The 1996 welfare reform law grew from stereotypes of black women abusing the system. #corroborates (0.85)
• Cultural stereotypes about race and gender directly reduced welfare provision #corroborates (0.80) — , Selod, Saher - Forever Suspect_…, 98
• Negative stereotypes block Black women from developing positive self-concepts #expands (0.50) — bell hooks, Ain’t I a Woman_ Black Women and…, 246