Commitment to work among welfare-reliant women

The purpose of this article is to describe the work of welfare-reliant wome n and to reveal commitment to work in the experiences of 84 welfare-reliant , rural women interviewed for this study. Understanding the domains where w elfare-reliant women exhibit commitment to work may help policy makers, tra iners, and employers design and implement interventions that enhance chance s of success for these women in the formal, paid workforce. Discussion focu ses on the women's formal labor force participation in the past and desire for wage work in the future; barriers to labor force participation, both pe rsonal and in the rural job market; informal work and the work of care; sup port networks; survival strategies for making ends meet while receiving wel fare; and the stigma of welfare receipt.