The Skriker Actor Packet

THATCHERISM
The War Against
SIngle Mothers
! Starting in the early 1980’s, the United
Kingdom, United States and other countries
around the world strived to decrease inflation
and increase economic growth. Prime Minister
Margaret Thatcher sold many state utilities to
private companies. Also, huge portions of state
funding were cut, including welfare. Single
mothers, such as Josie and Lily, suffered
particularly from these cuts. Margaret
Thatcher claimed that children from single
mothers are better off in religious orders that
Just one example of the many pieces of on welfare. She is quoted, “It is far better to
street art and protest art that reference
put these children in the hands of a very good
Thatcher’s “vicious attack on the
working class.” To this day she is religious organisation, and the mother as well,
known as “one of the most hated British so that they will be brought up with family
politicians” (McPartlan).
values" (Keelan). Thatcher discouraged the
ideas of “community” or “public well being,”
and sought to replace those notions with that of “individual responsibility”. Low
income families were to be thought of as lazy, and should seek their own solutions to
poor healthcare and failing school systems. This left lower income families with no job
security, and no other safety nets.
By 1990, England had a higher average economic
growth than the other major European countries.
However, they had poorer social conditions (i.e.
poverty and unemployment) than the other European
powers. The British government changed the legal
definition of unemployed nearly thirty times in order to
come up with lower figures. Between 1973-1979 the
unemployment rate was 3.9%, and between 1979- 1989
it was at 9.1%. The United Kingdom had not made
any major policy shifts since Margaret Thatcher
installed these policies.