KLAWITTER, Marieka <br/><br/>
Determinants of initial entry onto welfare by young women 

 -  2000 
<br/><br/> Using data from the yungest cohorts of women in the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, this study constructs Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) histories starting at age 15  Most young women go on AFDC for the firts time between ages 18 and 25 and do so in the first few years after the birth of their  first baby. These histories  are used to estimate models of the determinants of initial use of AFDC. The models provide mixed evidence that the financial or other incentives of welfare policy affect the likehood and timing of AFDC use. Benefit levels do not seem to affect participation, but the presence of a program for medically needy families who are not on welfare appears to decrease entrance to welfare for some groups. Parental poverty, family structure , academic achievement, attitudes toward school, and race are significantly related to the likehood of participating in AFDC, and the rate of entry