Karen Seccombe

In the following viewpoint, Karen Seccombe contends that welfare benefits are inadequate for raising a family. As a result, many recipients take on full- and part-time jobs, committing fraud by hiding this income from authorities. According to Seccombe, the welfare system itself is to blame for the prevalence of fraud. Women interviewed by Seccombe describe feeling trapped by a system that does not allow them to save enough money to permanently leave welfare. In the author’s opinion, welfare fraud has become a strategy women use to meet the basic necessities. Karen Seccombe is a professor of sociology at Portland State University.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. What percentage of the 214 welfare recipients interviewed by Kathyrn Edin and Laura Lein reported working jobs on the side during the past year...