Motherhood, Poverty, and the WIC Program in Urban America
Life Strategies
By (author) Suzanne Morrissey
Publication date:
08 August 2017Length of book:
286 pagesPublisher
Lexington BooksISBN-13: 9781498530552
In this self-proclaimed 'classic ethnographic case study in urban anthropology,' anthropologist Morrissey examines how low-income minority women make use of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). By interviewing women involved in the program in Syracuse, New York, she attempts to understand why some women at high risk for poor birth outcomes, which she defines as premature births and low-birth-weight births, used the program and others did not. Morrissey provides thorough histories of both Syracuse and WIC and a useful explanation of the program’s structures and functions. Her qualitative study examines some of the barriers to participation in the WIC program, which include inconvenient hours, long waits for appointments, and the need for transportation, among many others.... Summing Up: Recommended. All levels/libraries.