Because female heads of families tend to have less continuity of employment than their male counterparts do, they are twice as likely to face unemployment without unemployment insurance (UI) benefits. If Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC), which is the primary income support program for impoverished single mothers and their children becomes a time-limited program promoting employment in the low-wage labor market, the UI program will be expected to serve as a substitute for AFDC. According to research conducted by the Institute for Women's Policy Research on a data set of 1,200 single AFDC mothers who represent 2.8 million single mothers receiving AFDC nationwide, the UI program cannot become an effective income supplement for most AFDC mothers unless UI eligibility requirements are revised significantly. The following changes in policy regarding UI were recommended: (1) expanding UI eligibility by reducing minimum earnings and work requirements so that UI provides more security for more low-wage, intermittent workers; (2) instituting a national policy of paid family leave to provide the income support necessary for periods of nonemployment resulting from childbirth or fulfillment of family responsibilities; and (3) extending temporary disability insurance to cover serious family emergencies. (MN)