Payment of Universal Credit for couples in the UK: challenges for reform from a gender perspective
Universal Credit has been rolled out gradually in the United Kingdom since 2013 as one integrated means‐tested benefit replacing six different transfers with a single monthly payment. Previously, these benefits were awarded for distinct purposes and, for couples who claimed them, were potentially pa...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Journal article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2020
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| _version_ | 1797108388952276992 |
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| author | Howard, M Bennett, F |
| author_facet | Howard, M Bennett, F |
| author_sort | Howard, M |
| collection | OXFORD |
| description | Universal Credit has been rolled out gradually in the United Kingdom since 2013 as one integrated means‐tested benefit replacing six different transfers with a single monthly payment. Previously, these benefits were awarded for distinct purposes and, for couples who claimed them, were potentially payable to different partners. Concerns about Universal Credit’s single payment include the opportunities it may create for facilitating domestic abuse, the fostering of more unequal power relations within couples, the reduction of financial autonomy for individuals, and the de‐labelling of benefit payments. This article explores debates about the prospects for individual payments to partners in couples of Universal Credit as a jointly assessed integrated means‐tested benefit, including different approaches emerging from the United Kingdom’s devolved governments (mainly Scotland and Northern Ireland). Whilst payment to each partner is likely to be more feasible where there are separate rather than integrated means‐tested benefits, it concludes that genuine financial autonomy for partners in couples is best pursued via individually based non‐means‐tested benefits. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T07:28:29Z |
| format | Journal article |
| id | oxford-uuid:2ab258b8-322c-4cc4-ba63-7fe54861c901 |
| institution | University of Oxford |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T07:28:29Z |
| publishDate | 2020 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | oxford-uuid:2ab258b8-322c-4cc4-ba63-7fe54861c9012022-12-09T09:04:27ZPayment of Universal Credit for couples in the UK: challenges for reform from a gender perspectiveJournal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:2ab258b8-322c-4cc4-ba63-7fe54861c901EnglishSymplectic ElementsWiley2020Howard, MBennett, FUniversal Credit has been rolled out gradually in the United Kingdom since 2013 as one integrated means‐tested benefit replacing six different transfers with a single monthly payment. Previously, these benefits were awarded for distinct purposes and, for couples who claimed them, were potentially payable to different partners. Concerns about Universal Credit’s single payment include the opportunities it may create for facilitating domestic abuse, the fostering of more unequal power relations within couples, the reduction of financial autonomy for individuals, and the de‐labelling of benefit payments. This article explores debates about the prospects for individual payments to partners in couples of Universal Credit as a jointly assessed integrated means‐tested benefit, including different approaches emerging from the United Kingdom’s devolved governments (mainly Scotland and Northern Ireland). Whilst payment to each partner is likely to be more feasible where there are separate rather than integrated means‐tested benefits, it concludes that genuine financial autonomy for partners in couples is best pursued via individually based non‐means‐tested benefits. |
| spellingShingle | Howard, M Bennett, F Payment of Universal Credit for couples in the UK: challenges for reform from a gender perspective |
| title | Payment of Universal Credit for couples in the UK: challenges for reform from a gender perspective |
| title_full | Payment of Universal Credit for couples in the UK: challenges for reform from a gender perspective |
| title_fullStr | Payment of Universal Credit for couples in the UK: challenges for reform from a gender perspective |
| title_full_unstemmed | Payment of Universal Credit for couples in the UK: challenges for reform from a gender perspective |
| title_short | Payment of Universal Credit for couples in the UK: challenges for reform from a gender perspective |
| title_sort | payment of universal credit for couples in the uk challenges for reform from a gender perspective |
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