Social Security, Gender and Class: The Impacts of the Universal Credit Conditionality Regime on Unpaid Care and Paid Work

Kate Andersen

doi:10.1017/S1474746424000071

Social Security, Gender and Class: The Impacts of the Universal Credit Conditionality Regime on Unpaid Care and Paid Work

Kate Andersen

Social Policy and Social Work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

The introduction of Universal Credit, a new means-tested benefit for working-aged people in the UK, entails a significant expansion of welfare conditionality. Due to mothers’ disproportionate responsibility for unpaid care, women are particularly affected by the new conditionality regime for parents who have the primary responsibility for the care of dependent children. This article draws upon qualitative longitudinal research with twenty-four mothers subject to the new conditionality regime to analyse the gendered impacts of this new policy and whether there is variation in experiences according to social class. The analysis demonstrates that the new conditionality regime devalues unpaid care and is of limited efficacy in improving sustained moves into paid work. It also shows that the negative gendered impacts of
the conditionality within Universal Credit are at times exacerbated for working-class mothers.

Original language	English
Number of pages	16
Journal	Social Policy and Society
Early online date	28 Feb 2024
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1017/S1474746424000071
Publication status	E-pub ahead of print - 28 Feb 2024

Bibliographical note

Access to Document

10.1017/S1474746424000071Licence: CC BY

social-security-gender-and-class-the-impacts-of-the-universal-credit-conditionality-regime-on-unpaid-care-and-paid-work
© The Author(s), 2024
Final published version, 275 KBLicence: CC BY

Cite this

@article{0c212859680f40678521fcd6f7c88128,

title = "Social Security, Gender and Class: The Impacts of the Universal Credit Conditionality Regime on Unpaid Care and Paid Work",

abstract = "The introduction of Universal Credit, a new means-tested benefit for working-aged people in the UK, entails a significant expansion of welfare conditionality. Due to mothers{\textquoteright} disproportionate responsibility for unpaid care, women are particularly affected by the new conditionality regime for parents who have the primary responsibility for the care of dependent children. This article draws upon qualitative longitudinal research with twenty-four mothers subject to the new conditionality regime to analyse the gendered impacts of this new policy and whether there is variation in experiences according to social class. The analysis demonstrates that the new conditionality regime devalues unpaid care and is of limited efficacy in improving sustained moves into paid work. It also shows that the negative gendered impacts ofthe conditionality within Universal Credit are at times exacerbated for working-class mothers.",

author = "Kate Andersen",

note = "{\textcopyright} The Author(s), 2024",

year = "2024",

month = feb,

day = "28",

doi = "10.1017/S1474746424000071",

language = "English",

journal = "Social Policy and Society",

issn = "1474-7464",

publisher = "Cambridge University Press",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Social Security, Gender and Class: The Impacts of the Universal Credit Conditionality Regime on Unpaid Care and Paid Work

AU - Andersen, Kate

PY - 2024/2/28

Y1 - 2024/2/28

N2 - The introduction of Universal Credit, a new means-tested benefit for working-aged people in the UK, entails a significant expansion of welfare conditionality. Due to mothers’ disproportionate responsibility for unpaid care, women are particularly affected by the new conditionality regime for parents who have the primary responsibility for the care of dependent children. This article draws upon qualitative longitudinal research with twenty-four mothers subject to the new conditionality regime to analyse the gendered impacts of this new policy and whether there is variation in experiences according to social class. The analysis demonstrates that the new conditionality regime devalues unpaid care and is of limited efficacy in improving sustained moves into paid work. It also shows that the negative gendered impacts ofthe conditionality within Universal Credit are at times exacerbated for working-class mothers.

AB - The introduction of Universal Credit, a new means-tested benefit for working-aged people in the UK, entails a significant expansion of welfare conditionality. Due to mothers’ disproportionate responsibility for unpaid care, women are particularly affected by the new conditionality regime for parents who have the primary responsibility for the care of dependent children. This article draws upon qualitative longitudinal research with twenty-four mothers subject to the new conditionality regime to analyse the gendered impacts of this new policy and whether there is variation in experiences according to social class. The analysis demonstrates that the new conditionality regime devalues unpaid care and is of limited efficacy in improving sustained moves into paid work. It also shows that the negative gendered impacts ofthe conditionality within Universal Credit are at times exacerbated for working-class mothers.

U2 - 10.1017/S1474746424000071

DO - 10.1017/S1474746424000071

M3 - Article

SN - 1474-7464

JO - Social Policy and Society

JF - Social Policy and Society

ER -