The number of people on food stamps outnumber women who work full-time, according to
CNS News.
During an average month in 2012, there were 46.6 million people taking part in the food stamp program, formally known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, research data from the Department of Agriculture has shown.
There were 44.1 million women who worked full-time in 2012, according to the Census Bureau’s report on
Income, Poverty and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States.
CNS reported that in 2013 the average number of people on food stamps increased to 47.6 million. But there are no available figures on how many women worked full-time last year. The Census Bureau will publish its 2013 figures in September, CNS said.
Department of Agriculture online records go as far back as 1969 when only 2.88 million people were on food stamps, or SNAP. The number has increased about 1,550 percent in 35 years, says CNS.
American Thinker columnist Rick Moran says the leap in food stamp recipients since 1969 shows just how much Congress has changed the eligibility requirements for the program.
He wrote, "Those changes reflect how much the economy, the family, and opportunities for women have changed in the last 45 years. There are fewer good paying jobs that pay a 'living wage.'
"In Chicago, it takes a job paying $20.35 an hour to keep a family of 4 above the poverty level. A single mother has little chance of escaping poverty and more than 4 million of them and their children need assistance."
Moran wrote that the number of female-headed households continues to increase while statistics show that being married gives a family a far better chance of escaping poverty, the number of poor women who marry continues to fall.
He added, "The correlation between those receiving [food stamp] benefits and the total number of working women will continue to worsen as long as good paying jobs remain scarce and families continue to break apart."
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