Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- List of tables and figure
- List of abbreviations
- About the author
- Acknowledgements
- one Introduction
- two The social security system and gender: unpaid care, paid work and agency
- three Universal Credit and the new conditionality regime for mothers
- four Universal Credit and unpaid care: “we’re doing a massive job anyway”
- five Universal Credit and paid work: “you can job search and job search and not get anywhere”
- six Universal Credit and agency: “there’s no element of choice”
- seven Conclusion
- References
- Index
one - Introduction
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 18 January 2024
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- List of tables and figure
- List of abbreviations
- About the author
- Acknowledgements
- one Introduction
- two The social security system and gender: unpaid care, paid work and agency
- three Universal Credit and the new conditionality regime for mothers
- four Universal Credit and unpaid care: “we’re doing a massive job anyway”
- five Universal Credit and paid work: “you can job search and job search and not get anywhere”
- six Universal Credit and agency: “there’s no element of choice”
- seven Conclusion
- References
- Index
Summary
Our antiquated welfare system has become a complicated and inflexible mess. It has been unable to respond to our evolving job market and the changing nature of our workforce.
Society has changed but the benefits system has failed to change with it.
So it is time to bring welfare into the 21st Century. We want a system which isn't seen as a doorway to hopelessness and despair but instead as a doorway to real aspiration and achievement. (Duncan Smith, 2010)
Support is seeping away as Universal Credit is rolled out to more people. The way that Universal Credit has been designed and implemented appears to be based around an idealised claimant and it has features that are harming many, particularly the most vulnerable. Universal Credit can disadvantage women, disabled people and BAME people. (Economic Affairs Committee, 2020, p 3)
When Iain Duncan Smith, the then Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, gave his introductory speech on Universal Credit, he claimed that the UK social security system was deeply flawed and that Universal Credit was a ‘fundamental welfare reform’ that would reduce poverty (Duncan Smith, 2010). Given longstanding issues with the legacy benefits system, the ideas behind Universal Credit, and specifically the aims to simplify the benefits system and make work pay, initially received widespread support (for example, Sainsbury, 2010; Citizens Advice, 2011; Work and Pensions Committee, 2012). However, as the phased roll-out of Universal Credit has gathered pace, it has come under increasing criticism (for example, National Audit Office, 2018; Alston, 2019). As an Economic Affairs Committee report published in 2020 notes, the design and delivery of Universal Credit give rise to harm. There is mounting evidence that attests to the multiple ways in which Universal Credit can cause significant hardship to those claiming it (Wright et al, 2018; Cheetham et al, 2019; Patrick and Simpson, 2020; Robertson et al, 2020; Wickham et al, 2020). This is particularly problematic given that Universal Credit is a far-reaching new social security benefit: in 2018 it was estimated that when fully implemented, Universal Credit will affect just under seven million households (Kennedy and Keen, 2018).
One aspect of Universal Credit policy which has attracted criticism is the new conditionality regime for main carers of children (termed ‘lead carers’ in the government literature).
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Welfare That Works for Women?Mothers' Experiences of the Conditionality within Universal Credit, pp. 1 - 12Publisher: Bristol University PressPrint publication year: 2023