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Welfare Dependency Among Chicanos and Puerto Ricans: The Milwaukee Case

University of Wisconsin -Milwaukee

This article examines some of the factors involved in welfare recipiency among Latinos living in the city of Milwaukee. The sample was drawn from neighborhoods that were identified as having high levels ofpoverty and high rates ofpublic assistance. The results suggest that Puerto Ricans are less likely to be on welfare with increasing levels of education, if they have spent a long time residing in Milwaukee, if they have access to kinship networks, if they have secondary earners in the household, and if they have a job. Women were more likely to be dependent on public aid and number of children also had a positive relationship with recipiency. Chicano respondents are less likely to be on welfare if they have spent a long time residing in Milwaukee, have lived at the same address for a longer period of time, are married, have a job, and are foreign born. Chicano respondents with higher levels of English proficiency were more likely to be classified as dependent than those whose command of English was not as good. Although the study uncovered high levels of welfare dependency, the results raise serious doubts about the applicability of the "underclass" concept to Latinos.

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