New Books Network Mimi Abramovitz, "Regulating the Lives of Women: Social Welfare Policy from Colonial Times to the Present" (Routledge, 2025)
Nov 4, 2025
Mimi Abramovitz, a scholar of social welfare policy and author, delves into the complex history of the U.S. welfare state. She discusses how welfare programs are embedded with gendered and racialized myths that shape women's lives. Abramovitz highlights the dual role of welfare in both supporting and regulating women while exposing the systemic biases affecting Black women. Finally, she explores the future of welfare amid current political challenges, especially under the potential second Trump presidency, making it a crucial conversation for understanding social justice.
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From Welfare Worker To Scholar
- Mimi Abramovitz began her career as a welfare worker in Connecticut before returning to graduate school in social welfare policy.
- Her frontline work and activism shaped the central question of her book: how has the welfare state affected the lives of women.
Welfare State's Historical Arc
- The welfare state is a system of government programs to protect well-being, but in practice it is complicated and contested.
- Its modern form grew from the Great Depression and expanded post-WWII before facing neoliberal retrenchment starting in the 1980s.
Two Meanings Of 'Welfare'
- Abramovitz highlights three core cash programs: Social Security, Unemployment Insurance, and public assistance (now TANF).
- She warns that critics intentionally blur 'welfare' and 'welfare state' to delegitimize popular programs and justify cuts.
