How did people survive before wftc, ctc etc?

Whilst I know it's a serious issue I'm crying with laughter at the thought of "workhouses" up and down the north country in the 1990's.

But in a nutshell, it's a classic case of "losses socialised, profits privatised" whereby wages are topped up by central government and as a previous poster mentioned - it is now at a state where many would be unable to earn as much on the "open market".

Family income support FIS was around for years before WTC and CTC.

I have no experience of life pre benefits system, I have just been talking to my mother about her life (born in the 50's, lost her father very young) and they -my mother and her siblings- had to work from home after school to keep the roof over their heads and give them food. They did have a school dinner- even in the holidays. My nan went without food for long periods of time. They fought to survive, my nan had no qualifications to speak of beyond seamstressing, which they did from home.

Incomes suited to the cost of living would be nice, but it will never happen with wage cuts and freezes, when the country gets back on its feet the divide would be far too drastic for most employers to make up.

We got family allowance (child benefit) and whatever we could earn.

Poorer families qualified for Family income suppliment (FIS). Free school meals and something off their rates (council tax).

Yes, a living wage should replace minimum wage.

I imagine a lot of women stayed at home and wasted their qualifications and lost their future earning power. Most jobs are not financially viable with a child or two in full time childcare plus travel etc.

I'm currently paying £80 per day in childcare and only just covering costs really and that's with a graduate job. It's only because my DH earns very well that I am able to do this without tax credits.

If neither existed then I would have to give up my job and might struggle to walk into another in a few years.

Clacton?? We used to dream of Clacton . You're quite right however. Don't have anything against WTC in principle but the amount of topping up can be so significant for some that they can't hope to replicate that with actual earnings. A friend's young DD, lone mum to one, worked part-time in a pharmacy earning circa £8,000 and her WTC and CTC topped her income up to a level that she couldn't have matched IRL because she was neither qualified nor experienced enough. I'm not saying it was wrong for her to get the money but she had the opportunity to increase her qualifications at one stage and decided against it because she'd have been no better off. That's the unintended consequence sadly

A very interesting thread and I'm glad you asked.

It was very hard before Tax credits as there were not the opportunities for 2 parents to work. If you had a close extended family for childcare it was doable.
There was little childcare/nursery available and none that was subsidised, even the free 15 hours pre school didn't exist. There were many dc who missed pre school as parents just couldn't afford it.
It cost £5 for a morning or afternoon at a nursery and I managed 1 session each for my now grown up dc. I didn't work as it just wasn't possible financially.
When tax credits came in I and many others cried as we had been very poor and yes I think our children lived in poverty. Especially in terms of socialisng and early education.
Things have really improved and although there is much wrong with society and major cuts being made, women do have more choices than they did 20 years ago. Unfortunately, those who will lose TC will be exactly like I describe above. Some really tough times are coming.

'Family Credit' came in in 1986 and WTC (soon UC) are the evolutions of that. Prior to that there was a Married Man's Allowance (personal tax-free threshold) and I think Family Credit was introduced at roughly the same time as that was being phased out. There were benefits available for housing as there is now. There was Family Allowance (later Child Benefit) for those with children. Otherwise, we just managed on what we earned

They didn't. They had work houses and such evil crap, Or the children were made to work too.

Working benefits have become necessary as wages haven't increased at the same rate as the cost of living. When house prices and rents were still reasonable and prices of utilities, food etc. were rising at a steady rate then it was still possible to manage on a low income. It isn't now.