VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN / May 2002Busch, Wolfer / BATTERED WOMEN SPEAK OUT Battered Women Speak Out Welfare Reform and Their Decisions to Disclose

Recent attention has been given to the challenges and unintended negative consequences of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act of 1996 on the economic well-being and safety of battered women and their children. This study focused on bat-tered women’s perceptions and experiences of disclosing their abuse histories to welfare-to-work case managers. The study found that women are prepared and expect to disclose, but various factors influence their ability to do so. In addition, battered women them-selves have specific suggestions for improving the understanding and skills of case managers. Battered women, their advocates, and researchers have raised con-cerns about the challenges and unintended negative conse-quences of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act of 1996 (PRWORA) on the economic well-being and safety of battered women and their children (Brandwein, 1999c; Davis