Welsh Labour Women’s Conference 2023: Usdaw seeks an end to women’s and children’s poverty

Paddy Lillis – Usdaw General Secretary says: “Research demonstrates that women’s efforts to shield their children from the effects of poverty mean they feel its effect more keenly. One in four children living in Wales are living in poverty. Child poverty and women’s poverty are inextricably linked, so tackling women’s poverty is critical to the long-term success of any child poverty strategy, as well as being an important aim in its own right.

“Women are at greater risk of poverty, are more likely to suffer recurrent and longer spells in poverty and have more debt than men. Because of unpaid caring responsibilities they often work fewer hours and as a result have fewer savings and smaller pensions.  The work women do in sectors like retail has long been undervalued and insecure.

“We recognise the restrictions imposed on the Welsh Government by the fact that key social security levers are reserved to the UK Government and welcome the Senedd’s Child Poverty Strategy together with its commitment to policies that reduce child poverty such as universal free school meals.

“We are calling on the Welsh Government to be ambitious in its determination to tackle child poverty and asking delegates to commit the Welsh Labour Party to lobby the UK Government to take urgent action to address the adequacy of benefit rates received by parents and mothers as well as by children. Also tackle women’s disadvantaged labour market position and the many obstacles faced by low income, migrant, young and disabled mothers who want to take up paid work.”