To think too many people are happy to live off benefits forever?

[BritishQueue]

Okay, I know this is a touchy subject here on MN, but I need to ask, AIBU to think that too many people are just choosing to stay on universal credit rather than work?

Obviously, I’m not talking about people who genuinely can’t work - disabilities, carers, etc (even though a lot of those who claim to be unfit for work are perfectly capable, and I’ve seen “carers” for people who don’t actually need any care…). But I know multiple people who are completely able-bodied and yet have no intention of ever getting a job. They say things like “it’s not worth it” or “I’d be worse off working,” and honestly, I don’t get it. I work full-time, pay tax, and yet I see people getting rent paid, extra handouts, and still managing holidays and luxuries I can’t afford. Not to mention that a lot of women think the government should subsidise their SAHM lifestyle.

I just don’t understand how it’s fair? Surely benefits should be a safety net, not a lifestyle choice? AIBU?

Still have to pay some CT (usually 20%), not everyone rents, not everyone has kids, prescriptions only cost £10pm anyway with a prepayment certificate, there are no NHS dentists in some places.

I also know benefit scroungers. I have reported 3 and one was charged with benefit fraud. The others had their benefits stopped and had to pay money back. Where there's free money there will be fraud

It's not a great lifestyle though. Because we have always worked, we have a nice house, savings, cars, holidays etc. I'd rather work, and have all of these things than sit at home thinking I was clever for getting free money, that wouldn't stretch to any luxuries ever.

Yet they tell us benefit fraud is 0%! They just don’t know about the ones committing it!

Yes. My son was meant to attend the preschool, attached to the school we hope he goes to, in April. He has to wait until September as there is no room. It wasn't the case a few years ago.

I pay council tax, dentist, prescriptions via our UC and wages.

The real targets for benifit bashing is Westminster. The MPs & Lords get free meals from 5* restaurants in Westminster. They get off with claiming expenses like toilet paper, second homes & one claimed for a mote round his house. It's disgusting that people are so angry with peopel claiming benefits when the government & their CEO pals are the onse rising us dry. Benefits bashers should be disgusted with their attitude. I pray that all these benifit bashers need assistance one day- KARMA

In the case of my neighbour's son, the fact that he's not officially working means that his rent and council tax are paid and he doesn't have to pay maintenance for his children. He's happy enough to work, but he doesn't seem to want to work regular hours.

I agree that the MPs & Lords shouldn't be getting those expenses either. I'm fed up with anyone who's working the system.

If someone is in need of benefits in order to survive, that's fair enough. If they're swindling by working cash in hand and also accepting benefits, then that's wrong.

Because I’d rather be there for my children and life’s too short to care what anybody else thinks of that choice 🤷🏻‍♀️

I’m not a single parent, and I’ve been told I don’t need to be working until they’re in nursery… but I do want to work so I am. And my partner is a full time student with a part time job before you make anymore assumptions

Yes I have known families who have never worked and have no intention to

I am aware that receiving benefits or working for the minimum/low wage isn’t for too many an attractive enough prospect so they choose to stay on benefits

they know how to play the system I am not sure why this is denied

the benefits system is open to being exploited by those who make it their career to

I didn't assume anything but you are.

I don't get my council tax paid, I get about £7 per week reduction. Technically qualify for free dentistry, but in reality no where has appointments for NHS patients. Free prescriptions are only any use if you need prescriptions, many people don't. Incidentally I get mine free due to my medical condition rather than my UC.

People seem to think UC claimants get a lot more than they actually do. Never got a free goat either.

Yes it must be frustrating

Why are you mentioning disabled people? They were specifically excluded in OP.

I am not talking about people who cannot do certain jobs but people who don’t want to. Like my uncle. And that is down to poor moral character.

There's someone on Instagram who bragged about spending his UC money on a trip to Japan

Well, if he managed to save up and do that then fair play to him.

I don't think he even claims UC but pretending too for rage bait. Don't think the hunger strike is genuine either!

You've missed my point @MrsEverest . Of course women who go out to paid work raise their children but if you work full-time to some extent you outsource the job for under fives. But the unpaid work of women (mostly, of course some men also take on caring responsibilities) holds up the economy of every country in the world. Women not only go out to paid work but also do all the unpaid work. Domestic work, caring work, keeping the wheels on the economy. For this reason (among others) the Irish declined to change or remove the clause in their constitution that acknowledged the worth of women's work in the home - because if women stopped doing this work (stopped shopping, cooking, cleaning, wiping bottoms, feeding children, caring for the old and sick) the entire econmy would collapse.

Women make up more than half the population and they work much harder than men and on average c,4 hours a day longer since if they do paid work they then have to do the 'double shift' and run the domestics at home. This work is not free - women pay for it in their exhaustion, their poorer career choices, their ill-health and in their frequent poverty in old age.
This work should a) be paid for and b) be counted as part of GDP - without it GDP would collapse after all.

I'm not sure why you think I have contempt for my husband (who, as it happens, is dead). His stance was that if he wasn't going to do it nor should I (dust is ornamental, after all, a la Miss Haversham). We both liked cooking.

Why would you think that? I have known two people, young, able-bodied and reasonably intelligent, who simply chose not to work - and were somehow allowed to.
Excuses from one of them included, ‘I’m not working for minimum wage!’
Despite having no track record or experience of anything.
And, ‘I’m not participating in the capitalist system!’
While very happy to accept benefits from taxpayers who do.
MNers who like to think such people don’t exist are painfully naive.

There needs to be a huge cultural shift.

A colleague I know is very open about the fact that his wife is seeking a mental health diagnosis to get PIP as their child will be turning 3 in less than a year.

In many cases it doesn’t pay to work, I know someone who did a part time postie role, he got offered lots of OT, but always refused as it would set his UC claim back and then he wouldn’t be guaranteed the OT next month to make up for it.

I was on UC for a few months 6 years ago and it was awful. The running about trying to get all the details, proving applicantions to jobs, proving you had asked for feedback when being unsuccessful at interviews. I found the whole thing frustrating and consequently took the first job I was offered, where I worked for 6 months until I found something that was a better fit, But it is easy to say how you could get used to being on UC after a while and you would become more focused on making it look like you were busy applying for jobs rather than actually making good quality applications.

Perhaps if part of the the requirement to show proof of applications was reduced and instead people were required to do a certain amount of community service hours per week instead to receive their UC it would encourage them get into work (and I dare say give them something to put on a CV).

In many cases it doesn’t pay to work, I know someone who did a part time postie role, he got offered lots of OT, but always refused as it would set his UC claim back and then he wouldn’t be guaranteed the OT next month to make up for it.

UC is perfect for this kind of situation though, they calculate every month based on what you earned. So if you do OT one month you get less UC. If you don't OT the next month your UC is adjusted accordingly.

If women are still living like this then they need to raise the bar out of the basement. 50:50 down the line in my house because my DH owns half the house! Working outside the home Mums only work harder than men if the men in question are shit.

I don’t know how it works exactly, I have never worked and got IC but that was his rationale.

Of course you could argue that if the Royal Mail had the work for constant OT then they could have certainly been able to employ him full time.