Ain't No Trust

“Poor mothers distrust men, employers, and welfare caseworkers—and almost everyone else except a few family and friends. Finally we have a book that puts this palpable distrust at the center of analysis. Levine offers rich description of how distrust permeates the lives of the women she interviewed both before and after welfare reform, and insightful theorizing about the causes and consequences of this distrust."—Paula England, New York University

“Policy makers have many goals for women who are poor: get jobs, put their children in daycare, and rely on family members for assistance rather than the government. As policy makers have sought to understand why these policies have floundered, many critics have focused on the failings of the women. In this engaging book, Judith A. Levine shifts the conversation in a fresh and original fashion. In rich, in-depth interviews, Levine presents women’s accounts of how employers harass them, caseworkers lie, and even family members often remain untrustworthy. Levine shows us that feelings of trust are a crucial social lubricant, but this lubricant is in short supply in the lives of single low-income mothers. Without trust, it is hard to get ahead. Highly recommended!”—Annette Lareau, Stanley I. Sheerr Professor, University of Pennsylvania