Women’s equality in the UK – A health check

13.25
13.26
13.27
13.28
because in low-income households it is usually the woman who is responsible for managing day
to day spending and balancing the family budget. Women tend to be the ‘shock absorbers’ of
poverty going without in order to ensure other family members are fed and clothed. 43 Worryingly
a survey in 2012 found that as a result of reduced incomes, one in five mothers are missing
meals so that their children can eat. 44
It has been argued that these reforms also undermine the increase in personal tax allowance.
As Universal Credit will be assessed on post-tax income, it has been calculated that low earners
who are eligible for Universal Credit payments will receive £130 less from their tax allowance
increase than those who do not receive benefits. 45
An additional concern is that Universal Credit payments will only be processed online. This
raises questions about accessibility and will disproportionately affect women unable to access
the internet, BME women, disabled women and women with learning difficulties, and women
facing language barriers, particularly migrant women. Women’s NGO Latin American Women’s
Rights Service 46 have already found that many women are expressing their anxiety about the
introduction of Universal Credit and how are they going to access this system. This will put
enormous pressure on already overstretched charities, particularly those working with BME
women and others with ‘protected characteristics’.
Recommendation:
Measures must be put in place to mitigate the possible exacerbation of women’s
economic disempowerment within a couple under Universal Credit and to monitor
the impact on women’s economic independence of the new system. These measures
should include directly paying all or part of Universal Credit to women
The welfare reforms have sparked public protests and opposition from many experts within
the public and voluntary and community sector and from academics and some sections of
the media. 47 Introducing monthly payments would particularly affect women’s refuges, as a
substantial proportion of refuge income is based on benefit payments, which cover rental
charges. (See Appendix: 5) After extensive campaigning by VAWG support services, the
Government has confirmed that rent payments for refuges will be exempt from Universal
Credit reforms. 48
Under Universal Credit, conditionality will extend to those in work. There will be an obligation for
people in work to raise their income above a certain level – which will vary for different groups
of people – and sanctions will be applied if they do not. This measure will disproportionately
affect more vulnerable women such as BME and disabled women already struggling to make
ends meet and overrepresented in low-skilled and low-paid jobs and in certain industries such
as cleaning and catering. 49 Benefits such as JSA are already conditional on a claimant seeking
work. People who a job centre believes are not actively seeking work can face sanctions,
43. Women’s Budget Group (2005) Women’s and Children’s Poverty: Making the links. WBG: London http://www.wbg.org.uk/documents/
WBGWomensandchildrenspoverty.pdf
44. Netmums (2012) Feeling the Squeeze survey results http://www.netmums.com/files/Feeling_the_Squeeze_Survey_Summary.pdf
45. Gingerbread (2012) Unitended conseqences: How how the structure of Universal Credit undermines the coalition commitment to support
low income workers through raising the personal tax allowance threshold http://tinyurl.com/8mao44d
46. Latin American Women’s Rights Service http://www.lawrs.org.uk/ Accessed: 22/03/13
47. Himmelweit, S. (2012) ‘Welfare reform Bill will erode women’s financial independence’, The Guardian, 23rd January 2012 http://www.
guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/jan/23/welfare-reform-bill-women-independence
48. Lloyd, T. (2012) ‘Refuges win exemption from direct payment’, Inside Housing website, 6th November 2012 http://www.insidehousing.co.uk/
care/refuges-win-exemption-from-direct-payment/6524537.article
49. McIlwaine, C. (2011) No Longer Invisible: The Latin American community in London. Queen Mary University of London, Latin American
Women’s Rights Service and Trust for London. http://www.trustforlondon.org.uk/No%20Longer%20Invisible%20report.pdf
Women’s equality in the UK: CEDAW shadow report 2013 135