Poverty and Mobility in America: A Conversation with Monica Potts and Jason DeParle

These are distinguished journalists (Potts recently received the Sidney Hillman award for her work in The American Prospect, “Pressing on the Upward Way,” and DeParle won the George Polk award for his work on the welfare system. He’s also a 2013 Schwartz Fellow here at New America.) Potts’ piece profiles a family of four in Owsley County, Kentucky, the poorest majority white county in the nation. It especially focuses on the struggles of the mother, Sue Christian, as she tries to protect and provide for her family in an area with few opportunities to do so. DeParle highlights contrasting family structures in America in his piece, “Two Classes, Divided by ‘I Do’.” He describes the lives of two different women who work at the same daycare center, but who have vastly different life experiences. This discrepancy is due in large part to differences in their marital status, as well as differences in their wage levels and education.

Both authors describe issues in their pieces that demonstrate the differential experiences American women face as compared to those experienced by men. DeParle pointed out that the population with the fastest growing rate of single motherhood is the white middle class. Therefore, he argues, the struggles of single motherhood have become less of a marginal problem and more of a widespread issue. According to DeParle, two main issues plague single motherhood in America: the lack of a second income and the lack of a second set of “parenting hands.” 

 

As Potts discussed the Christian family, it became evident that issues of poverty are still very relevant even in traditional two-parent families. When Sue Christian was laid off from her data entry job, her family lost its most valuable and dependable source of income. Despite Sue’s status as the highest wage earner, she declined the title of “breadwinner,” out of deference to her husband. He supported Sue’s decision to gain a higher education degree, even though in the short term it meant a greater financial hardship. Potts also discussed Sue’s political identity, which was greatly formed by social issues, and less impacted by economic issues.

 

These two articles and the conversation above offer an interesting window into the unique and pervasive economic issues that many women must deal with and navigate in their everyday attempts to find and maintain a good job, raise children, or fulfill other life goals. Stay tuned for an upcoming blog series exploring these issues in greater depth and in the meantime, check out the video of these two journalists discussing their work, and what it means, in person.