Political Discourses on Workfare and Feminist Debates On the Recognition of Unpaid Work

Authors

  • Jacinthe Michaud Glendon College, York University

Keywords:

Discrimination, Incentives in industry, Low-income mothers, Public welfare policy, Single mothers, Social systems, Stigmatization, Social welfare

Abstract

This article proposes a feminist critical analysis of three series of arguments that shaped political discourses in support of Workfare legislations during the 1990s in Canada: the restoration of work ethic; the improvement of self-esteem among welfare recipients; and the deregulation of the welfare system by imposing compulsory measures that will determine who among the poor deserve public assistance, particularly Workfare policies aimed at youths and teenage mothers.

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Author Biography

Jacinthe Michaud, Glendon College, York University

Jacinthe Michaud is an associate professor in the School of Women's Studies at Glendon College, York University, Toronto, Ontario. She teaches Feminist Theories, Women's Sexualities, Feminism and Public Policies and Women's Health. Her most recent research focuses on the re-engineering of the community sector through new orientations in public policies such as Workfare in Ontario and the developement of social economy enterprises in Québec.

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Published

2004-04-01

Issue

Vol. 28 No. 2 (2004): Special Issue: Never Done: The Challenge of Unpaid Work

Section

Original Research

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