The purpose of this research was to establish a profile of working-poor families with children along dimensions of demographic characteristics, ability to meet basic needs, and social capital access use. The sample was drawn from the 1993 Panel of the Survey of Income and Program Participation. An expanded definition of working-poor was developed and used to identify 1571 families deemed in-crisis, at-risk, or approaching safety. Profiles of each working-poor category were established using descriptive statistical techniques and differences between categories were established by calculating a chi-square test statistic or conducting an analysis of variance depending on the variables tested. Demographic differences among categories include whether the family was headed by a married couple, single female, or single male as well as the age, educational attainment and race/ethnicity of the family head, and how many minor children were in the family. Families in each working-poor category differed by how many weeks were spent in the labor force and whether those weeks were spent working in a job or looking for work. Differences were also established among the categories in the rate at which they experience unmet basic needs and report social capital access. Data constraints limited ability to statistically test differences in social capital use. The discussion highlights the differences and the similarities of each working-poor category along the dimensions under study.
展开▼
