This revision traces the evolution of the concept of social welfare and presents a sweeping view of the history of social welfare programs from prehistory to the present.

The author takes a feminist perspective and integrates coverage of women's and minority issues into the development of our present social welfare system. Particular attention is paid to the issues of poverty and social and economic justice. 

A New History of Social welfare is a history of people involved in the social welfare system, not as wielders but as subjects, victims, recipients or clients.   It considers the loss of history for disparaged groups: women, non-Caucasion people, laborers, etc, in an attempt to redress the omission or belittling of their contributions. The Fifth Edition integrates new details on racism from Afrocentric and Black women’s perspectives into the stated societal values of America.