Rural Elderly Women's Attitudes Toward Professional and Governmental Assistance

Abstract

The study presented here examined the attitudes of 218 rural elderly women toward receiving professional and governmental assistance. The results indicated that although the respondents had little familiarity with governmental programs, they were generally in favor of increased assistance for people in need. The relationship of these constructs to age, income, education, and marital status is discussed, as are the implications for social work practice with this population.Despite the increased interest in the health and welfare needs of elderly people, of women, and of residents of rural areas during the past 2 decades, the voices of rural elderly women have not been included in generating information on these needs. Moreover, little is known about how older rural women view outside assistance for their health needs. This dearth of information led us to a two-stage study in which we sought to learn how rural older women define and maintain their health and well-being and how they perceive asking for and receiving professional help and governmental assistance. The first stage of the study was described in Butler (1993). This article presents partial findings from the second stage; additional findings from this stage, which discuss elderly women's concepts of health and well-being

Rural Elderly Women

“…Services marked by these characteristics would be increasingly utilized and in great demand (Kivett, 1997). Furthermore, Butler and DePoy (1996) argue that once educated about their eligibility for services, rural elderly women in their study were not opposed to receiving governmental assistance.…”

“…Nevertheless, these qualities should not be mistaken for their lack of desire for adequate services. Some scholars argue that rural elderly women prefer formal rather than informal support systems during times of extended needs for care (i.e., Butler & DePoy, 1996;Kivett, 1997;Peterson, 1989; see also Porter, 1998;Shenk, 1987). However, most existing models of service delivery in rural areas are unacceptable to rural elderly women.…”

“…However, most existing models of service delivery in rural areas are unacceptable to rural elderly women. These women describe professional and governmental services as too large, too all-encompassing, carrying a welfare stigma, and staffed by "outsiders" to rural communities (Butler & DePoy, 1996).…”

“…It is clear from the literature that rural elderly women do not control these decisions. Nor are their needs and preferences adequately represented (i.e., Butler & DePoy, 1996;McCulloch & Lynch, 1993; see also Neese & Abraham, 1997).…”

Welfare Background, Attitudes, and Employment among New Mothers

“…The first, which we call the incentives scenario, predicts that having few resources will result in the same set of attitudes as those predicted by the welfare culture model. Evidence, in fact, suggests that people with lower incomes have more positive views of welfare than do people with higher incomes (Butler & DePoy, 1996;Gilliam & Whitby, 1989) and that working-class women are less likely than upper middle-class women to have positive views of work (Haller & Rosenmayr, 1971; Moen & Smith, 1986;Safilios-Rothschild, 1971). Limited resources and the experiences of their low-income family members may lead adolescents to perceive their own future opportunities as limited (McLanahan & Booth, 1989).…”