February 21, 2025
Work and the social safety net among first-time mothers: Lessons for family policy
Drawing from his extensive research on poverty and social policy, David Rothwell will discuss how first-time mothers with low incomes navigate work and safety net programs like Temporary Aid for Needy Families (TANF). His talk will examine the critical intersections between employment, social support systems, and family wellbeing, with particular attention to how these factors influence maternal and child outcomes in the context of current family policy frameworks.
In-person: Hallie E. Ford Center room 115
Remote via Zoom
Speaker
David Rothwell, MSW, PhD serves as the Barbara Knudson Chair in Family Policy and Associate Professor in Human Development and Family Sciences at Oregon State University, where he leads groundbreaking research on poverty, families, and social policy. With degrees from Pitzer College, Tulane University, and a PhD from the University of Hawai’i at Manoa, followed by postdoctoral work at the National University of Singapore, Rothwell brings a global perspective to his studies of economic inequality and family wellbeing. His research portfolio spans child poverty, financial asset measurement, and the economic challenges faced by families with children with neurodevelopmental disabilities. Drawing from his background as a social worker in mental health and community economic development, Rothwell’s work is supported by major grants from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, while he maintains connections with McGill University as an adjunct professor.