Women of the Shadows: Appalachian Women's Participation in the Informal Economy

Abstract

This qualitative study of 23 Appalachian women identified four patterns of participation in the informal economy. The unique needs of these women illustrate the necessity for differential approaches to welfare reform and the ethical dilemma of social workers who are caught between their knowledge that these women use illegal, unre ported income to supplement insufficient welfare benefits and the punitive social policies and poor employment prospects that give the women no choice.

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