Universal Credit, Gender and Structural Abuse.

Abstract

Joint couple payments under Universal Credit tend to privilege male partners, which may entrap women in abusive relationships, foster poverty, and are indicative of gendered structural abuse. Through a critical review of the literature and qualitative interviews with third sector support workers we explore the impacts that Universal Credit has on women, especially those in abusive partnerships. Current welfare processes reinforce patriarchal assumptions and are indicative of the structural abuse of women. This has increased during the lockdowns imposed to tackle COVID-19. This paper argues that there needs to be a wider a recognition of gender power relations and the concept of structural abuse in policy formation and implementation. This paper argues that there needs to be a wider a recognition of gender power relations and the concept of structural abuse in policy formation and implementation.