“We Make our Ends Meet Good”: Coping Strategies of Former Welfare-Reliant Women

Abstract

In this paper we examine coping strategies used by women living in poverty in response to stressors in their lives. The stressors we examine are: (a) making ends meet: paying bills and supporting families; (b) employment and the desire for self-sufficiency; and (c) feeding families. Using a longitudinal, qualitative data set, we identify three major types of coping strategies: (a) internally directed strategies—things the women do within their own lives or households without relying on other people, to cope with the challenge of the stressor; (b) externally directed strategies—strategies the women use or resources the women tap into, outside of their own internal, psychological or physical resources, to cope with the challenge of the stressor; and (c) government supported strategies—public programs to which the women turn to cope with the challenge of the stressor. Implications for helping professionals in public and non-profit service agencies are suggested.