The Quality of Life of Single Mothers on Welfare in Georgia
Monica Maria Alzate, 2005

Abstract

This policy paper reports research on the quality of life of single mothers on welfare in Georgia. It addresses three questions: 1. What is the quality of life of single mothers on welfare in Georgia and how do they fare compared with the rest of Georgia’s residents? 2. What are the differences in the quality of life of single mothers on welfare based on their location? Does the quality of life of these women differ in urban areas compared with rural and suburban areas? 3. How does the quality of life of single mothers on welfare differ by county? In which counties is the quality of life of these women the best? In which counties is it the worst? The research methodology is adapted from work done by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), which in 1990 created the Human Development Index (HDI), a measure of quality of life that can be used for comparison across nations and between subpopulations within a country. Each year, the UNDP publishes the Human Development Report that shows the relative quality of life of people in every nation based on the HDI. This paper used the HDI to compare the quality of life of single mothers on welfare (also referred to as women on welfare) with that of the black and white populations in the state of Georgia. The HDI is composed of three dimensions: health, education, and standard of living. For comparisons between subpopulations within a country, each dimension has several indicators that vary according to the level of development of each country. The dimensions and indicators of the HDI used in this study can be found in Table 1. These dimensions are calculated through indices that standardize the measures so that the quality of life of different populations within Georgia can be determined. The study finds that, in Georgia, women on welfare have a lower quality of life, as ranked on the HDI, than both the white population and black population. These differences are statistically significant. The quality of life of women on welfare differs by type of county. They have the highest average quality of life in suburban counties. Women on welfare in rural counties with a declining population have the lowest average quality of life, as measured by the HDI. The quality of life of women on welfare in urban areas does not differ statistically from the quality of life of women in rural areas with a declining population. Only 19 percent of women on welfare in Georgia live in suburban counties; 54 percent live in urban counties and rural counties with a declining population. Thus, more than half of women on welfare live in counties in which they have a lower quality of life than their counterparts elsewhere. The paper identifies the 10 counties in Georgia in which women on welfare have the best quality of life and the 10 counties with the worst quality of life, as measured by the HDI. The counties in which women on welfare have the worst quality of life are rural counties. Seven of the 10 counties in which the quality of life is best for women on welfare are suburban counties, and 3 are rural areas with a growing population. When considering these findings, it is important to remember that the concept of human development goes beyond the indicators and dimensions of the HDI. Nevertheless, the HDI is a valuable tool to compare development by gender and racial groups and thereby identify inequalities in a given society.