Equality group urges women to lobby UK government over austerity budget
Summary of story from FMWF, August 5, 2011
Single women in the UK will be hit hardest by austerity measures, with single mothers losing a month’s income annually once all cuts take effect, according to the equality group, the Fawcett Society.
Drawing on new analysis from the Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS), a recent Fawcett Society study shows that single women are hit harder than single men, couples and multifamily households by the current government’s tax and benefits changes (and see WVoN story).
Also, lone parents, 92 percent of whom are women, will, on average, stand to lose the most as a result of the reforms. For example, they are facing increased pressure to find paid work in a difficult economic climate while support for childcare and training is diminished.
The campaigning group is urging women to write to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, asking:
- Will the Chancellor commit to producing a ‘gendered household analysis’ of the Budget in future? (IFS research commissioned by the Fawcett Society shows such an analysis is viable)
- Will the Chancellor work with colleagues across Government to review work, childcare and welfare policy, so that lone parents are not made poorer?
Well, maybe then women will think first before having children assuming that the government will pay for their upkeep. It is cruel and selfish to continue having children if you cannot feed them. I stopped at one because that is all I could afford. I did not have more even though it is what I dream of even to this day because it would be heartless and cruel to raise a child without the means. And, don’t excuse having all these babies as “accidents” when we all know there are various methods of birth control. It is selfish and heartless and narcissistic plain and simple.
Rebecca, while accepting your point that limiting childbearing to what you can afford is the sensible thing to do, I think you are making the erroneous assumption that most single parents choose to raise children by themselves. The majority are single parents due to divorce or the death of a spouse; very few are the ‘if i have another child i will get more benefits, council flat’ type. And, i would argue, that even these women deserve support – we do need to consider what kind of life have they had that results in having a baby to get benefits and a council flat being seen a positive lifestyle choice?