Responding to a report out today from the Resolution Foundation and the Health Foundation, A Fraying Net, which finds that young parents are more than twice as likely to lose out when moving on to Universal Credit, Young Women’s Trust Chief Executive Sophie Walker said:
“Today’s report provides yet more compelling evidence that young women, especially those who are parents, are being pushed into poverty by a poorly designed and discriminatory Universal Credit system.
“Young women have been amongst the hardest hit by austerity, and it’s adding insult to injury that they are further losing out when they move onto Universal Credit.
“For as long as Universal Credit hits those most in need of the support it is failing to deliver on its objectives and is unfit for purpose. That’s why we need an overhaul of the financial support offered under Universal Credit, including the same rates for under 25s as over 25s, more tailored support for young women in finding suitable employment and an end to the obsession on sanctioning some of the most vulnerable in society.”
