THE EFFECTS OF AFDC ON AMERICAN FAMILY-STRUCTURE, 1940-1990

The ''end of welfare as we know it'' in the United Slates was predicat ed on the belief that the welfare system was responsible for a dramati c upsurge of single-parent families. This article addresses the issue historically, examining the potential impact of interstate differences in Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) benefit levels on f amily structure from 1940 to 1990. The author's results reveal that th e impact of AFDC on family structure was considerably smaller in the p eriod from 1940 to 1970 than in 1980 or 1990. It is concluded that inc reasing welfare benefits cannot account for a significant portion of t he increase in illegitimacy divorce, or separation in the postwar peri od. Nevertheless, rising benefit levels are significantly associated w ith changes in the living arrangements of unmarried mothers.