More than money? Job quality and food insecurity among employed lone mother households in the United States

Amanda Sheely

LSE Research Online Documents on Economics from London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library

Abstract: This article examines the relationship between food insecurity and the uncertainty and inadequate financial resources associated with low quality work among lone mother households in the United States. Food insecurity has increased since the start of the Great Recession and is particularly high among lone mother households. Using data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation, I find that mothers who have been employed part-time involuntarily and experienced job loss have an increased likelihood of experiencing food insecurity. This relationship holds even after controlling for multiple measures of household income, suggesting the relationship between low quality work and food insecurity is not solely determined by low financial resources. Results suggest that, to reduce food insecurity among lone mother families, policymakers must address both the low wages and uncertainty associated with low quality employment.

Keywords: food insecurity; precarious employment; lone mothers; working poor (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J01 N0 R14 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 18 pages
Date: 2022-02-24
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-agr and nep-lab
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

Published in Social Policy and Society, 24, February, 2022. ISSN: 1475-7464

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ehl:lserod:112504

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