Yet more reason for feminists to fight the welfare reform bill

[ValarMorghulis]

It is obvious that amongst all of these cuts to the benefit system it will be women that will be the hardest hit.

Most of the cuts will be seriously damaging to those with young children who are unable to return to work.

great article about it Here

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I agree, I do not think they should abolish the social fund.

However, just to play devils advocate. I was a single mother. I got absolutely nothing from the social. I had 2 jobs (one during the day and another 2 nights a week). My children were very young but I had to work so paid a childminder. I do realise that there will always be people who cannot work but I do not think being a single parent is a reason not to work. I had to explain to my children that if they wanted school trips, clothes etc etc I would have to go out to work to earn the money. I wanted to teach my children that. Infact, my son who is now 18 goes to college full time and has 2 jobs at the weekend, 1 in a pub and 1 in a nightclub. I had no extended family to help as they live in another city.

I realise that not everyone can do that but I do think they should receive help to try. It has not done my children any harm going to a childminder and day care.

MrsClown - childcare is now significantly more expensive than it would have been when your children were smaller. Costs have risen more than inflation every year for the last 10 years and the UK now has the highest childcare costs in the world.

Reports suggest that some families are spending more on childcare than on keeping a roof over their heads, with many spending more than a third of their overall income.

It's worth remembering that the 70% child care element of WTC only applies for basic minimum wage. As soon as you earn even slightly more than that, the amount of help you get reduces accordingly.

I have two children. I have worked out that by the time they no longer require childcare, I will have spent about £160,000 on childcare. That's allowing for the fact that they need less once they start school and even less again as they become older school children and then secondary school children. It's a colossal amount of money.

On minimum wage, even with WTC help, if you're spending £1000 on childcare per month, you'd still have to find £300 per month. That's next to impossible on a NMW income.

I've worked full-time since mine were born. Despite being good at my job and working very hard to make up for the privileges my position has given me (e.g. being able to work from home when childcare falls through), I am under no illusions that the only reason I have kept my job is because I have an understanding boss. As a single parent with no family support, there is no one else to pick up the slack if the DC are ill or childcare falls through. That's why a lot of single parents can't work or find it difficult to keep a job, particularly when DC are young and subject to the myriad of childhood illnesses around.

Then there's finding childcare to suit. In our increasingly global economy, more and more roles are now 24/7, meaning shift patterns. In some areas it is impossible to find a CM or a nursery willing to work before 8am or after 6pm, especially on weekends. When I last asked for a list of OFSTED-approved CMs in my area, there were only seven and of those seven not one would work outside those hours, and only two would work after 3pm.

I think a lot more single parents would work if there was more childcare available, at hours to suit, and at an affordable price, but at the moment that just isn't the case.

Sorry, that sounds a bit preachy, and it's not meant to because I know you're not having a go at single mums - it's just I tend to go off on one on this topic because people are constantly underestimating just how difficult it is for any mother (let alone a single one) to (a) find childcare and (b) afford it, even if they can find a job that will fit with being a mother in the first place.

Yes and then you have to add to the mix, a child carer that both you and your children like and respect.

It brings the numbers down to none sometimes. So you settle for one you just think won't actually murder them in cold blood, the worst they'll do is stick them in front of Nickelodeon for six hours. It's not ideal.

Sorry, I really didnt mean to preach, though I know it must seem like that. My child care was £200 per month, which I know is a lot less than it is now. However, I was only earning £500 per month. I dont know to this day how I managed.

I just wanted to make the point that it is possible. Sorry again, I am the last one to be able to preach to anyone, trust me on that one!

When I claimed IS they took 5 months to process my claim so I had to apply for crisis social fund loans every 2 weeks during this time to have any money at all. If this is abolished what would someone in my situation do? Starve? hand my DC into SS?

Of all the proposed cuts IMO this is the worst.