Falling between the cracks – the experiences of young parents on Universal Credit
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12601563 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Marsha Wood (0000-0003-3933-9928, Institute for Policy Research, University of Bath, Bath, UK, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2023 |
| Volume | 27 |
| Issue | 7 |
| Pages | 1042-1057 |
| Publication date | 2023-04-09 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Youth Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1367-6261 • E-ISSN: 1469-9680 |
| Publisher | Taylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/13676261.2023.2199146 |
| OpenAlex | W4362736303 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 24 |
Those who become parents at a young age are more likely to have disadvantaged backgrounds such as growing up in low income families or to have experiences of being in care, which means they are more likely to face challenges as they become adults and parents. Despite the disadvantages many young parents face, they are neglected in UK policy, especially in relation to their experiences of the social security system where they receive lower levels of financial support from the state compared with older parents. This article draws on in-depth interview data at two points in time with nine young parents under the age of 25 claiming Universal Credit (drawn from a large sample of couples receiving Universal Credit). The findings show they faced extreme financial disadvantage, housing difficulties and problematic interactions with Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) staff and social services which impacted on their awareness and access to benefits. This article also explores the role of policy, poverty and power in influencing age related experiences of social security
Demographic economics · Disadvantage · Disadvantaged · Economic growth · Economics · Face (sociological concept · Political science · Poverty · Power (physics · Sociology · Work (physics · Healthcare innovation and challenges · Intergenerational Family Dynamics and Caregiving · Psychology · Social Policy and Reform Studies
Young parents’ experiences of pregnancy and parenting during the Covid-19 pandemic
Hopes and Fears
Challenges Faced by Young Mothers with a Care History and Views of Stakeholders About the Potential for Group Family Nurse Partnership to Support Their Needs
The Everyday Costs of Poverty in Childhood
I know I’m a good mum – no one can tell me different.” Young mothers negotiating a stigmatised identity through time
Parenting in the pandemic
Universal Credit, ubiquitous conditionality and its implications for social citizenship
Childcare costs and Universal Credit
Poverty, shame, and the class journey in public imagination
Universal Credit
Planned’ Teenage Pregnancy
Teenage mothers’ experiences of stigma
Birth Parents and the Collateral Consequences of Court-ordered Child Removal
Housing Quality, Housing Instability, and Maternal Mental Health
The Social Security Advisory Committee
Punitive benefit sanctions, welfare conditionality, and the social abuse of unemployed people in Britain
Universal Credit, ‘Positive Citizenship’, and the Working Poor
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |