Special Issue 1991

Cover

 
  • Child Poverty in America

    Nearly 13 million of the nation's children—about one in five—live in poverty. The stereotype of poor children has proved to be inaccurate and inadequate: poverty among children is not just urban, it is also rural and suburban. How the nation can address this mounting problem, and what the consequences will be if it doesn't, are examined in this lead article.

    By James D. Weill

  • Using Medicaid to Prevent Infant Mortality

    Lack of access to adequate maternity and pediatric care causes thousands of infant deaths every year. Medicaid can play a powerful role in reducing infant mortality, which disproportionately affects low-income families. This article reviews significant reforms in the Medicaid program that are designed to improve the access of low-income pregnant women and infants to health care.

    By Molly McNulty and William R. Kincaid

  • Drugs and AIDS: Meeting the Health Care Needs of Women and Children

    This article describes the problems associated with drug and alcohol use, HIV infection, and AIDS for low-income women and children, and discusses the advocacy options for improving their access to health care and other services.

    By Abigail English and David Gates

  • Changing Educational Outcomes for Young Children from Low-Income Families

    Children of low-income families have unique educational needs. This article covers the legal tools that federal law provides to address these needs and discusses the need for a systemic approach to advocacy for all low-income children.

    By Kathleen Boundy

  • Sex Discrimination Topics: Employment and Education

    Women are disproportionately poor and comprise a disproportionately high percentage of legal services clients. This article addresses two key areas of discrimination law for legal services practitioners: discrimination in employment and in education.

    By Ellen Vargyas

  • An Antidiscrimination Legal Construct That Disadvantages Working Women of Color

    This article focuses on the status of women of color in the workplace, on the phenomenon of multiple discrimination against women of color, and on the intersection of race and gender in employment law.

    By Judith A. Winston

  • Woman Battering: A Major Cause of Homelessness

    Battered women are a large and largely unrecognized group: half of all married women, for example, will experience some form of violence from their spouse. Even more unrecognized is that woman battering is a major cause of homelessness for both women and children. This article explores the connection between domestic violence and loss of shelter and makes recommendations for minimizing homelessness for battered women.

    By Joan Zorza

  • Homeless Women and Children

    The special problems of homeless women and children require advocates to use their expertise in a variety of substantive areas. This article surveys new developments in child welfare, public assistance, and housing law, as well as innovative approaches that cut across substantive areas in an effort to solve these problems.

    By Alice Bussiere, Henry Freedman, Dan Manning, Lisa Mihaly, and James Morales

  • Child Poverty and Public Transfers in International Perspective

    The United States leads other rich countries in child poverty rates because it trails those countries in government cash assistance to families. This article examines the impact of other national social welfare programs on child poverty, and suggests that some valuable lessons can be learned through an international perspective.

    By Timothy J. Casey

  • Older Women and Income Security

    This article discusses how to increase the income security and health insurance coverage of older women. Increased pension coverage, health insurance coverage through COBRA, and employment discrimination are covered.

    By Burton D. Fretz, Vicki Gottlich, and Shannon Schmoyer