Date of Graduation
2007
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Type
MA
Committee Chair
Corey Colyer
Abstract
Welfare recipients have always been stigmatized. The welfare reform legislation of 1996 reflects widespread attitudes and stereotypes of welfare recipients, which are translated into the structure of state welfare programs and are carried down through the administration to the welfare caseworker—the “face” of welfare for recipients. Literature on welfare stigma has focused on clients, but not their caseworkers. Using qualitative methods, this paper presents a Goffmanian analysis of the effects of welfare stigma on these caseworkers, who not only interact with clients in their jobs everyday, but who also implement a stigmatizing social program. The caseworkers in this study constructed a continuum of normalcy in reference to their clients, as they tried to manage their involvement and interaction with stigmatized persons who could easily be themselves. Their attempts to manage welfare stigma influence their interactions with clients and consequentially, the outcomes of welfare programs themselves.
Recommended Citation
Hartzell, Sarah L., "Managing welfare stigma from the other side of the desk: A look at rural TANF caseworkers." (2007). Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD). 10976.
https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/10976