The Self‐concept of Black and White Women: The Influences Upon Its Formation of Welfare Dependency, Work Effort, Family Networks, and Illnesses

Lois Benjamin and James B. Stewart

American Journal of Economics and Sociology, 1989, vol. 48, issue 2, 165-176

Abstract: Abstract. The concept of “self‐efficacy” is used to test the hypothesis that the negative self‐concept of welfare recipients coniributes to long term psychological and material dependency on such assistance. Self‐efficacy focuses on the extent to which people are able to produce and regulate events in their lives and is associated with self‐imposed performance expectations. The extent to which the minority status which Blacks occupy in this society decreases self efficacy relative to Whites is examined, using information generated from structured interviews with 290 low income Black and White women. Operationalizing the concept of self‐efficacy with appropriate controls for socioeconomic status, family composition and other factors results in finding no racial differences in sense of self‐efficacy between Black and White women. Observed differences in patterns of receipt of public assistance are found to be more directly related to the persistence of structural barriers to upward mobility that have differential impacts on Blacks and Whites. Long term receipt of public assistance is found to adversely affect both self‐worth and work orientation/perceived efficacy for all women.

Date: 1989
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