'Making It' Versus Satisfaction: How Women Raising Young Children in Poverty Assess How Well They Are Doing

• Published in: Journal of social service research 2013-03, Vol.39 (2), p.269-280
• Main Author: Wright, Travis
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: African American; Child Poverty; Children; Economic resources; Expectations; Females; Intervention; Interventions; Low-income women; motherhood; Mothers; Parents & parenting; Poverty; Satisfaction; self-expectations; Social problems and social policy. Social work; Sociology; Sociology of the family. Age groups; Standard of living; Survival analysis; Urban Poverty; well-being; Woman social status. Women's emancipation; Young children
• ISSN: 0148-8376; 1540-7314
• DOI: 10.1080/01488376.2012.753977

 Using in-depth interviews with 17 women raising young children in urban poverty, two separate standards were examined-"making it" and satisfaction. "Making it" referred to one's perceived ability to meet the basic physical needs of her children. In contrast, satisfaction referred to how closely one's current life circumstances align with her personal notions of success. Results indicated that self-expectations greatly influenced which standard individuals prioritized, such that those with higher expectations valued satisfaction while those with lower expectations prioritized "making it." Self-expectations aligned largely with one's poverty status, and women with the fewest economic resources typically expected the least for their lives. Findings from this study suggest that efforts to support women raising young children in poverty must address both standards if they are to be relevant, effective, and sustainable. Similarly, if individuals are to succeed in such interventions, they must be supported in developing higher expectations for their lives, given the role that expectations play in catalyzing one's sense of a life beyond survival. Future research and implications for theory and practice are outlined.