What would happen to you/your family if there were NO benefits/welfare system?

[Mamajoycewig]

As there's been a lot of talk around benefits in the news and a lot of strong opinions on it I was interested to know what would happen to most people if there were no welfare system in place?

Would your family suffer? Would you be on the streets?

Would you have still had kids knowing if you couldn't work there'd be no government backup?

Would you have made different life choices?

Personally, if all benefits were to be removed tomorrow then we'd be the same financially other than losing child benefit which we use for nappies/wipes etc.

My mum and brother would be screwed as he's disabled. Although if I'm honest I don't think she'd have had as many kids as she did without any top ups (4 kids). She's always worked but needed top ups.

It wouldn't affect us.

I would have to pay more to support my older daughter who is a single mum of 2. But it wouldn’t directly impact me now. I was at one time a single mum myself who relied on benefits though. The welfare state is there to help protect children from poverty and we should all care about that in society.

It would have no impact for us.

No impact for me. But I will need my rent paying when I retire in 13 years

No impact for us either

It wouldn't change anything for me, but would have an impact for my DD/dgd

No impact to us, we don't get anything from the benefit system at all.

My profoundly disabled sibling would probably die

My children and I would be screwed. I'd have to work full time which would have such as massive impact upon my ongoing and lifelong health conditions that I would be bed bound within a year or two and then die from starvation. God knows what would happen to them them. I worked two full time jobs until I got ill. I wasn't work shy.

I would be completely fucked. I'm struggling to get by on benefits as it is.

It would affect my family hugely.

Not directly other than losing CB, but because if so many people were instantly plunged into poverty it would wreck the economy, drive up crime rates, then affect the health and education of the nation. The consequences would be very damaging.

The hideousness of watching people struggle would be awful too.

Nothing directly but the indirect consequences would be huge.

Homelessness and poor health would increase, I'm sure crime would too if it's the only way people can support themselves. All this would have a knocking effect on the economy and the health and education of the next generation of workers.

Anyone who thinks it wouldn't effect them is wrong.

I’m not able to have children and I have a small mortgage so I don’t consider there to be a viable safety net for me in this country as it is so have to squirrel away money of my own as best I can. It wouldn’t have made a difference to me as a kid either as parents both worked, owned own home and we only got child benefit. Maybe as an adult I’d have been worse off if that didn’t exist, as my parents saved my CB and I got that towards a house deposit at 21 (it matured at 21, I still had to save further to buy, but was certainly a leg up. I know that makes me very fortunate)

Edit to add, I read the question as a direct personal effect, of course if there was mass poverty I’d be affected by that as would almost everyone else.

Nothing would change as things are right now . But no one knows what life might throw their way, a serious long term illness for example. In that situation, the lack of a welfare system would be a problem.

Anyone who thinks it wouldn't effect them is wrong.

100% agree.

Same as this.

Would I have chosen to have DC if there wasn't a welfare system? Possibly not. But then I didn't plan to be a single mum who's mental health is so fucked I can't work.

Absolutely nothing.

I imagine we are some of the lucky ones.

No impact for me at all as I receive no help from the government and never have. Hopefully my taxes would go down a bit.

It would have no impact on us personally but I imagine the impact on wider society would make this a pretty awful place to live

I'm disabled now so now rely on benefits. I Used to work though when my kids were older and up until five years ago I was a care assistant. We did rely on benefits when they were small and when we had to live in a refuge. My kids work but need top ups for disability and kids. If they're was no benefits, only the well off would be able to have any kids, it's just not possible on minimum or even lowish wage. Carers, shop assistants, hospitality, cleaners, classroom assistants, etc etc... 🤷‍♀️

No difference at all.

No impact for me and DH or any of our adult DCs. The only family member I think it would affect is adult DN who doesn't work due to mental health issues. I can't really fathom whether they genuinely can't work or won't work. Can't be told what to do by anyone, can't get out of bed, falls out with everyone etc. But that said I don't really know whether they can't control these behaviours, or are just badly behaved.

Id bloody start saving! It's very easy to fall on your arse OP. What if you or a loved one got a diagnosis?? Or your partner dumped you and you lost your job? Or someone crashed into you and left you unable to work or support yourself?

Nothing.

It wouldn’t affect us.
my parents also always worked and although didn’t have any spare money never claimed anything.