A message from Harriet Harman - Minister for Women and Equality - how is the credit crunch/recession is affecting you and how do you think Government can help?

[JustineMumsnet]

Harriet Harman writes:
We want to protect families from the credit crunch with real help. And we want to hear what Mumsnet are concerned about during this recession; what you want us to be doing about it; and what you want to see changed for the future. Prime Minister Gordon Brown is hosting an international Economic Summit in London (which President Obama will be coming to) in April to agree with other countries how we work together to get the global economy back on its feet and growing again. I want to hear from you and feed your views in to this summit.

Opinion polls tell us that women are more concerned about the impact of the recession than men, is that your view?
Is the recession affecting your family life and if so how?
Are you getting the advice and information you need if you ask for help?
What do you want to see government doing to help with that?
What do you think about bonuses?
How can we help women who want to start their own businesses?

can't say all that I want to say here and the longer this goes on the longer I think about how the decisions being made show the MPs live in a completely different world to the majority. Knew it before and certainly know it now. Suffice to say I am wondering whether I will ever vote again - after all womens fought to give us the right to vote and the minds to decide what to do with our own vote.

Forcing all schools to offer holiday clubs and breakfast/afterschool clubs would help. We just don't have that facility in my rural location, and it would be invaluable.

I'm a lone parent, self-employed, and trying to keep my head above water during school hols is a nightmare.

A "thanks for responding to my questions" would be nice from HH.

What, like a bonus?

Will HH say thank you/make a response? Possibly, I guess, although maybe not just yet - I just looked to see that the thread was only posted on Weds and hasn't been here a week yet.

Usually with Govt consultations you get 12 weeks to make your response, then a letter thanking you and then at some point a bit further down the line (could be three months or more) the Govt makes a formal response saying what it's now going to do. The internet moves much faster than the Govt and Parliament though - so you would imagine HH would respond faster than the RL timetable.

As this is a public forum I expect all the political parties are reading the ideas here - which can only be a good thing!

I don't get why anyone would want a thankyou. Surely, having the opportunity to have your input is thanks enough. When did we all get so self important?

It's not a matter of being self-important. It's just basic courtesy.
How long does it take for some researcher to come on here and say, "thanks for your input - really interesting, keep it coming. We'll let you know what HH thinks of this in "
Very rude IMO.

We are fearful of my DH's job being lost. I was planning to restart my career in 2 years when our youngest starts school, after 9 years of child rearing. I'll be lucky to do this now - so will effectively have thrown away my career and the years of study I did (I appriciate it would have been hard to go back anyhow, but it wouldn't have been impossible).

We have saved very hard over the years as senior schools around here aren't very good (one cheap holiday a year, cheap food, no new clothes). The money that would have paid for secondary education now won't keep up with the rate of inflation of school fees. I feel we are we are suffering due to the idiots that spent the money they had and didn't have and bought so completely into consumerism.

Rude?! That not a week has passed and already a minority of people are spoiling for a fight over gratuities for taking part in a discussion about how the government can help them? Well why stop at demanding thanks, why not ask for £50 worth of M&S vouchers for your trouble?

Talk about not being able to derive any pleasure from being part of a constructive process. Is this where bonus culture has got us?

And it's a minority, thank goodness

Opinion polls tell us that women are more concerned about the impact of the recession than men, is that your view?

No I think we are both equally concerned. I have already been made redundant.

Is the recession affecting your family life and if so how?

Trying to cut back on money even more and I cannot get another part-time job that will pay enough money to cover the cost of childcare so I am now a full time mum instead of working part-time. I have had to remove the children from nursery as we can't afford it. Been trying to get evening or weekend work so I don't have to pay out for childcare.

Are you getting the advice and information you need if you ask for help?

Not really. Asked about tax credits but was told that I'd already earned too much money this tax year to qualify - so there is NO support for us, even though there were no signs I was about to lose my job. Have to wait 4 months before we can be re-assessed in April.

What do you want to see government doing to help with that?

More help for people being made redundant, especially part-time workers. Statutory redundancy is crap and it makes me bitter that it takes no account of all the years I was full-time prior to going part-time after having children. I feel like I've been penalised for wanting to spend some time with my children!

What do you think about bonuses?

I wish I could work in an industry where if I arse up I still get a bonus . Bankers who have been bailed out by the tax payer are incompetent and therefore do not deserve a bloody bonus!

How can we help women who want to start their own businesses?

Childcare. Incidentally whose bright idea is it to limit the amount of early years funding you can use in a day? How many jobs do you know that let you work the sort of hours covered by a funded place? I'll tell you - practically none. So you have to still pay a top up fee each day if you need a full days care.

Women starting their own business will need good, flexible childcare - how about scrapping all the "rules" about funded places and just let us use the time slots to suit ourselves.

I'll just pack my soapbox away now shall I?

WTF are you talking about MiTochondrialEve?

It's common courtesy to thank people for taking time to post their comments.

I guess common courtesy is something you know nothing about though.

I just thought it would be nice for her to let us know that she was taking some of our comments on board.

FFS!!

Well, she didn't post the OP, so I doubt she's checking in that often.

I do think a thanks is due and polite but not until the post start slowing down and information collated. Gov'nt work on a very slow time frame. It keeps the civil servant in post. Have you not watched Yes, Minster.
Brillant piece of TV.

P.S Why only one woman in the Financial
Crisis Select Committee?
If that's not the title please someone correct me, I haven't got time to find the article in the recycling bin.
Could we have some idea of some positive solutions to the mess we are in?

what studies would they be, fff?

sweden has high benefit rates, but their taxes are way higher than ours.

I was self employed in spain when I went on maternity leave with dd in 2OO2. I got EUR55O a month for 16 weeks (not even 4 months!). employed women in spain get quite high rates, but only because their employers pay eye watering NI contributions and only for 16 weeks. The unemployed get nothing. I'm fairly sure it's similar in portugal and italy.

finally to those who say the vat rate cut didn't influence purchasing decisions ...I bet it did. people say they're not influenced by brand advertising, but you know, those companies keep on shelling out for it. why is that? I work for several ecom websites and cutting the price by 2% does increase sales.

Everyone is worried about the recession - even those who have no real need to be. As a result it will be worse than it should be, the media are talking a problem into a crisis.

Our savings are now pretty useless and I'm very annoyed at all the bail outs going to improvident people while those who were prudent pay for them.

Our income is likely to drop below tax credit levels next year - except we are still paying back an overpayment that occurred despite us stating there was an overpayment and being told it was correct. And we have appealed against that and had the appeal refused.

There is nowhere to go for advice except the internet. And I agree with the comment made earlier that we know how to make the most of what we have anyway. That's how we had savings to start with. It's also why despite our low income we will manage fine, although our capital will be battered.

Bonuses always were a disgrace fueled by a system where recommendations are made by those who have a vested interest in seeing high figures. You may have to permit some now but most of those involved should have been fired for misconduct - without compensation. If you still need some then you re-employ on diifferent contracts.

The 2% Vat cut was a joke - much better if you'd spent the money removing vat on house improvements and kept the building trade going. Or put the money into energy saving measures - we can't get roof insulation in our house because the roof space is a health and safety hazard. Other people would need rendering on their terraced houses and have problems with neighbours.

You are doing too much for the rich - with bail out schemes for those who risk expensive houses.

Just on a wider note, I wonder if the issue of psychosexual difference could have bigger implications for policy as a whole - at the moment, much of our systems and economics are based on male evolutionary imperatives - men put most energy into mating effort which includes the collection of resources and much more, but which is analogous with capitalism as we know it today. Females, on the other hand, put more energy into childrearing. At the moment, there is a marked asymmetry at work in social policy, which seems to be favouring ?mating effort? over ?childcare? ? which is to the detriment of children, women and society as a whole. This system seems to pit parents against one another ? brings the tenets of capitalism into the home - with perhaps the result that man and women?s differences are magnified and hence, we find the ?family unit? threatened, divorce rates soaring, etc. I don?t know ? just a thought?maybe I?ll refine this question for my phd?

I agree with What she said?!!!!!!!!

Dear HH, Will you be looking at sensible rental stock for middle income families that have a degree of security and not just for Key workers and the poor?
Oh! and not those shoe box flats with no living space for children to grow up in.

Not that I am against capiltalism - just that there may be room for some recalibration which works to optimise it for all, working to our strengths but not confining us by our limitations - both sexes abd individuals

That kind of links in with what I'm getting at Starbear - we live in a culture where, if you are single and without responsiblites, you can fly - but do the natural thing and fall in love and have children, suddenly it all gets much much harder. Yet to be a successful society we need (certainly at the moment) a higher replacement rate than we have.

We seem to be looking at society via an optical illusion which places the family at the bottom when it should be at the top - and with predicted better long-term economic success as a result.

A1. Refused on grounds of sexism. Individual people have different concerns/priorities regardless of gender.

A2. I have been working for a large car firm for over a year as part of their IT infrastructure. They have recruited via an agency to avoid having to pay redundancy if/as/when they need too. I feel in a more secure economic climate I would have been given a perm role with all the benefits etc that I do not currently have... i'm not talking anything fancy here, just a workable notice period and a redundancy payout equal to a perm employee of similar service, to support me and my family when I'm forced out of work. I have been told that when I'm given my notice, which is a legal requirement, I will not be able to work this out with the "client" but anywhere the agency needs me, which could be miles from my sons nursery.

A3. I have no idea where to obtain advise for this at all, its a case of sitting a waiting to join the dole queue. This is a loop hole for companies to exploit the individual for their financial gain.

A4. I do not know, I have little confidence that any proactive preventative work is being under taken... throwing money at the problem will not resolve it. Change is the only way to evolve.

A5. A very provocative question, a whiff of tabloid frenzy about it. A real solution would be to cap bonuses at a percentage of annual earning based on both company and personal performance scores. Top salaries should be capped, as well as better salary regulation based on experience/training over gender.

A6. I think women (and men) will be forced into starting their own businesses in order to provide for their families. Most people are too proud to take handouts and with a dwindling jobs market, self-employment will be a way to stay in work. 30 days invoice payment sounds like an awesome way to assist these self-employed folk stay afloat.

Supplementary:
Childcare Voucher Scheme: The childcare voucher scheme such as BusyBee's is a great way for those mid-salary families that do not qualify for much in the way of tax-credits etc to reduce the expense of childcare. However many employment agencies refuse to entertain the idea of supplying these (as they have to commit to purchase x amount per month and cannot guarantee that the worker will have booked enough hours). Maybe this scheme can be coordinated through the PAYE scheme to afford people the same privilege of tax savings.

Cap childcare costs: Nursery?s have a licence to print money at the moment. How many mums put their children into childcare at one rate to discover that this increases at a massive increment without ample warning. I suggest a government intervention such as the IT Sarbanes Oxley audits would ensure that income is not disproportionate to overheads. Surely paying one (however skilled and personable) nursery nurse £16-18 k per annum, ground rent, food and facilities can?t come to more than the income from the 4 children ratio at £1100 pcm. Yes nurseries need to make a profit to survive but these need to be caped to ensure a nurseries gain is not a tax-paying households loss.

Some really interesting ideas there Cybergazer.

I fail to see how a statement of fact could be seen as sexist though. If you aren't convinced that opinion polls are saying that women care more than men about the recession, check those polls and their sources. We'll all be better served by accurate reporting of polls rather then idological interpretations.

But to your other points; certainly a 30 day invoice payment policy would be massivlt helpful - many of DP's contracts are from social services and they are terrible for paying up on time. Small businesses absolutly depend on a healthy cash flow.

I honestly fail to see the point of bonuses for people earning astronomical amounts anyway. But saying that, I know a lot of it is there to trigger competition between employee's and if one company stopped bonuses, another company will be in a position to poach their best people. Same with capped saleries. Killing competition between individuals would kill the markets also. It's finding a healthy balance that's the tricky part, I'd (barely) imagine.

There seems to be quite an emphasis on getting mums to work but I feel this is strange. I am a part-time working Mum myself, but only because in the South-east, you need two wages to pay a mortgage. I feel there should be more help for mums who want to, to stay at home, certainly whilst children are pre-school, (but thanks for the free playgroup places so we don't all lose our patience with the kids). Maybe tax breaks for parents of under-5s?? Without wishing to get into all that SAHM versus GTWM stuff, in a recession if people want to stay at home why not make it easier?