VIEW, Issue six, 2012


Website: viewdigital.org er benefits cuts d at Stormont over planned changes to the welfare system


Page 15


Development Agency, which published an OFMDFM- funded report on the impact of the recession on women last year, said societal norms made it likely that, in the case of a heterosexual couple, the benefit money would go into the man’s bank account. “So the money moves from the purse to the


wallet. At the moment, at least women have access to child tax credits and so on. There’s a huge evidence base, globally, that shows that money from the purse is spent on different things than money from the wal- let, and it’s spent on family needs, on children, school uniforms, groceries – the household budgeting. “It’s scandalous that this is happening and we’re


really keen to ensure that Universal Credit is paid to either the second earner or the carer and, if this is unpalatable, that it’s split between two people so that


people have access to resources.” Like Women’s Aid representatives Sonia Lutton and Louise Higgins, who were also at the protest, Ms Carville said she was concerned about the possible impact on women in abusive relationships. “If there’s any level of abuse in a household, whether it’s violence, emotional or fi- nancial, it just makes it so much worse for those fam- ilies.”


were broadly supportive of their objectives. “We can win this, and all the parties recognise


As for the prospects of success, she said MLAs


it. So as the Welfare Reform Bill goes through Stor- mont, they say that they support what we’re doing, including the minister, Nelson McCausland – so are their actions going to follow their words?” The campaign for this small concession comes


against a backdrop of increasing financial desperation. Ellen Finlay from the Women’s Support Network is the co-ordinator for Your Money Garden, which runs financial education courses for women in deprived areas.


to choose between heating their homes and feeding their families. “I don’t think we realise the extent (of the cuts)


yet but it is beginning to hit,” she said. “There was one woman who was in recently, and she had to either pay for her child’s uniform or the TV licence, so she opted for the uniform and she ended up in prison. Unfortunately that’s the reality now and I don’t think it’s going to get any better if these reforms go through.”


She told me shocking stories of women forced


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