The framing of poverty as 'child poverty' and its implications for women

Abstract: This report examines the sources and implications of a focus on "child poverty" in state policy discourse in Canada over the last two decades. The author traces and documents the emergence of this emphasis and identifies a number of contributing factors and events. The report examines the interrelationship between women's poverty and that of children, and explores the implications of a governmental focus on child poverty in terms of reducing women's inequality and poverty. The dominant assumptions and norms underlying the framing of poverty as child poverty are identified and linked to policy responses to child poverty to date. The policies examined include the Federal Child Support Guidelines, the National Child Benefit and the Early Childhood Development Initiative of the National Children's Agenda. Finally, the report briefly examines a range of alternative discursive strategies in terms of their potential impact on women's experience of poverty and inequality.