What were the effects of Reagan's policies on welfare provision PT 2

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  • Created by: LilM10017
  • Created on: 06-05-21 15:31
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  • What were the effects of Reagan's policies on welfare provision?
    • The impact on living + working conditions
      • Working families [not on welfare] = benefited from lower taxes.
      • However, the changes to the family credit regulations + rising interest rates that pushed up rent + mortgage costs had an even more devastating impact:
        • Between 1980-87 = the average mortgage debt rose by 30% + the rate of "foreclosure" quadrupled.
        • Many families found that to make ends meet, both parents had to work, which than = affected the quality of family life + the American Dream of the 1950s +60s.
      • The removal of federal regulations on working conditions = increased working hours:
        • In 1973, = workers had 26 leisure hours a week [on average]. This was only 16 hours by 1987.
        • Many people felt pressured to work even harder + take work home in order to compete with others + satisfy productivity requirements = endorsed by Reagan himself.
        • As their productivity was often compromised = many working mothers were managed out of jobs or forced to take part-time or temporary contract work.
      • Young people coming into the workforce under Reagan were worse off than those before them:
        • They entered a 2-tier workforce = older or experienced workers kept their previously negotiated contracts that included higher wages + benefits.
          • While younger people, desperate for a job, = were forced to accept new working conditions that often meant longer hours + less pay for the same work.
            • "Take it or leave it" system
            • A direct impact of deregulation = not the same standards for everyone
    • The impact on women + minorities
      • As Reagan wanted to cut federal spending = he stopped the push for affirmative action for minorities + women.
      • Minorities
        • Reagan claimed he was not racist or sexist but = only filled 5 Civil Rights lawsuits to help minorities in 1981 [compared to 24 under Nixon in 1970].
        • In 1982, the NAACP's magazines "The Crisis" = said Reagan was abandoning all minorities:
          • He stopped the policy of "busing" poor black + Hispanic students to white schools, that helped desegregation + better shared opportunities = led to ghettoization
          • He withdrew 40% of federal funding for bilingual education
        • He continued the policy of "Planned Shrinkage" in the inner cities [started by Carter] = led to inner city crime, unemployment + ghettoization.
      • Women
        • Reagan did not support the Equal Rights Act + spoke out against Abortion
        • He did appoint a women, = Sandra Day to the Supreme Court.
          • A women figure, high up in a government position
          • Not enough representation
      • Gay Rights
        • Some people argue that, Reagan ignored the AIDS crisis = until his friend, actor Rock Hudson died of it.
        • However, Reagan did address meetings on the issue + provided funding for a federal research project on AIDS in 1982.
        • Reagan was frightened of being too gay friendly = as he would lose support of conservative, right-wing, religious Republicans.
      • Black Americans
        • Educated, middle-class, conformist black Americans could get ahead = especially black women, as they filled 2 minority "quota" areas
          • But poor, uneducated blacks became an underclass = ignored by Reagan
        • The Quota system made good, hardworking black Americans = feel worthless or undervalued in their careers.
        • In the 1980s = many black Americans felt excluded from the polticial process + turned to violent, angry rap rather than religious songs like "We Will Overcome" [the anthem of MLK in the 1980s].
        • Huge racial problems + discrimination continued into the 1990s = the Roberts vs Texaco case in 1994-96, being a prime case of discrimination in major companies.

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