New Books in History Mimi Abramovitz, "Regulating the Lives of Women: Social Welfare Policy from Colonial Times to the Present" (Routledge, 2025)
Nov 4, 2025
Mimi Abramovitz, a renowned scholar and author of social welfare policy, dives deep into the historical and modern dynamics of the U.S. welfare state. She unveils how gender and race shape welfare programs, highlighting the stigmatization of single mothers and the exclusion of Black women. Abramovitz argues that welfare can empower women and fuel social movements, despite ongoing punitive policies. She reflects on recent legislative challenges, including threats to Social Security under the second Trump administration, while also discussing feminist reforms that have improved benefits.
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From Welfare Worker To Scholar
- Mimi Abramovitz began her career as a welfare worker in Connecticut and later studied social welfare at Columbia.
- Her frontline experience and activism shaped the question that led to Regulating the Lives of Women.
U.S. Welfare Is Limited And Conditional
- The welfare state is government programs protecting people during economic hardship, but U.S. programs are limited and unequal.
- Historical choices and U.S. individualist culture produced a welfare state more conditional than in other advanced democracies.
Welfare Supports And Polices Women
- The welfare state both supports women's care work and regulates female behavior through rules that enforce gender norms.
- Programs historically rewarded dependence on male breadwinners and penalized women who didn't conform.
