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University of Oklahoma Graduate College Beyond the Welfare Queen: the Rhetorical Construction of Single Mothers in American News

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University of Oklahoma Graduate College Beyond the Welfare Queen: the Rhetorical Construction of Single Mothers in American News UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA GRADUATE COLLEGE BEYOND THE WELFARE QUEEN: THE RHETORICAL CONSTRUCTION OF SINGLE MOTHERS IN AMERICAN NEWS MEDIA A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE FACULTY in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY By KATHERINE L. EAVES Norman, Oklahoma 2018 BEYOND THE WELFARE QUEEN: THE RHETORICAL CONSTRUCTION OF SINGLE MOTHERS IN AMERICAN NEWS MEDIA A DISSERTATION APPROVED FOR THE GAYLORD COLLEGE OF JOURNALISM AND MASS COMMUNICATION BY Dr. Ralph Beliveau, Chair Dr. Charles C. Self Dr. Meta G. Carstarphen Dr. Ann M. Beutel Dr. Jensen Moore © Copyright by KATHERINE L. EAVES 2018 All Rights Reserved. DEDICATION To my parents, Kenny and Cathy Eaves, for their unyielding love, support, and encouragement. And to my daughter Lola—this is for you. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS It has been said that it takes a village to raise a child. In this way, a dissertation is not so unlike a child, as this project is the product of many minds, not just my own. Without the guidance and support of this scholarly village, my research might never have come to fruition. I would first like to acknowledge my advisor, Ralph Beliveau, for sticking with me through this extended process. His encouragement, wisdom, suggestions, and sense of humor helped me stay the course. I took a number of detours along the way, but I never doubted his belief that I could prevail. Thank you for all your help. My committee members also deserve a special “thank you” here. To Meta, Charles, and Ann: Thank you all for your guidance and willingness to support my continued candidacy through a number of personal and professional challenges. The courses I took with each of you provided the foundation of my academic career and have made me a better person. I am grateful for the perspectives you have brought to this project. And to Jensen, your willingness to join my committee at such a late stage puts me in your debt. My sister Jane has been an unwavering, sometimes borderline annoying, source of optimism throughout my doctoral studies. Her ceaseless positivity is usually the perfect antidote to my sometimes overly pessimistic personality. But her ability to make me laugh and see the bright side is unmatched, and for that, I’m grateful. Finally, I am forever thankful for my parents and daughter. They are the reason I have gone from a delinquent teenager to a Ph.D. candidate. I cannot begin to articulate how much I appreciate their support, love, encouragement, and steadfast belief that I can do whatever I put my mind to. They are my eternal cheerleaders, and I am lucky to have them. v TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION ............................................................................................................................. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................................................................................................ v LIST OF TABLES ......................................................................................................................... ix LIST OF FIGURES ....................................................................................................................... x ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................................... xi CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................... 1 Research Goals and Purpose ............................................................................................. 2 Research Questions ............................................................................................................ 3 Selection of Historical Representative Anecdotes ........................................................... 4 Sampling Procedures.......................................................................................................... 7 Analytic Procedures ......................................................................................................... 10 Rationale and Significance ............................................................................................... 16 A Personal Connection .................................................................................................... 19 Preview of Chapters ......................................................................................................... 21 CHAPTER 2. THE SINGLE MOTHER “PROBLEM” ......................................................... 24 Single Mothers in Historical Context ............................................................................. 28 Single Mothers and Poverty ............................................................................... 34 Motherhood and Morality .................................................................................. 39 Conceptual Frameworks .................................................................................................. 40 Intensive Mothering ............................................................................................ 40 Folk Devils and Moral Panics ............................................................................ 45 Moral Regulation ................................................................................................. 50 Linking Moral Panic and Moral Regulation ...................................................... 52 Chapter Summary............................................................................................................. 53 CHAPTER 3. JUST ANOTHER LIFESTYLE CHOICE? SINGLE MOTHERS AND FAMILY VALUES ....................................................................................................................... 54 Dan Quayle vs. Murphy Brown ...................................................................................... 55 The Myth of the Traditional Family ............................................................................... 57 Family Values Rhetoric and the Moral Regulation of Single Mothers ........... 59 (Im)moral Single Mothers .................................................................................. 61 (Re)Defining “Family Values” ........................................................................... 66 vi Mothers (and Others) Push Back ................................................................................... 68 The “Bootstrap” Principle.................................................................................. 75 Sex, Welfare, and Single Women ....................................................................... 80 Chapter Summary............................................................................................................. 83 CHAPTER 4. ENDING WELFARE AS WE KNOW IT ...................................................... 84 The Development of Welfare ......................................................................................... 86 Single Mothers and Social Safety Nets .............................................................. 88 From Political Rhetoric to Painful Reality ......................................................100 Consequences for Children ..............................................................................105 Education Takes a Backseat .............................................................................107 Moral and Sexual Regulation of Welfare Mothers Under PRWORA/TANF ..........111 The Structural and Individualistic View of Poverty .......................................113 TANF as a Tool of Moral Regulation .............................................................120 Chapter Summary...........................................................................................................126 CHAPTER 5. THE UNFINISHED BUSINESS OF WELFARE REFORM ....................129 The Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood Initiative ..................................130 Shifting Meaning of Marriage ........................................................................................135 Bush’s Marriage Promotion Agenda ...............................................................139 Divergent Perspectives of Marriage ................................................................142 A Focus on Fathers ........................................................................................................145 The Marriageable Men Theory.........................................................................149 Silencing Single Mothers ..................................................................................152 Chapter Summary...........................................................................................................155 CHAPTER 6. BEYOND THE WELFARE QUEEN ...........................................................158 Mixed Messages About Single Motherhood ................................................................159 Defining Themselves ........................................................................................159 Revisiting Past Rhetoric .................................................................................................172 Chapter Summary...........................................................................................................176 CHAPTER 7. CONCLUSION .................................................................................................178 Research Questions ........................................................................................................178
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