Gestor bibliográfico Crisis y Salud

Following the financial crises, there have been severe reductions in social welfare services and benefits, whilst overall expenditure has increased as a result of increasing need. Where austerity measures have been pursued, there has been little consideration in the short term, of the need for deeper, structural reform. In particular, the gender impacts of welfare changes or welfare retrenchment appear to have been given little consideration. Member States have been reluctant to introduce measures that require significant investment and the priority has been on achieving savings. Reductions in expenditure have been made in key state services that women rely on or are indirectly affected by, including benefits for out of work families, benefits for lone parents, housing support and sickness benefits and child, and social care. Reductions in expenditure have been made to previously universal benefits such as child benefit, which particularly affects women's ability to afford child care. Reductions in state benefits and services make it more difficult for women to work, as they try to balance work with caring responsibilities at the same time. Many Member States have introduced labour activation policies, which place greater conditions on out of work benefits, many of these conditions will be difficult to fulfil for women with children. Whilst women may benefit in the medium term from greater participation in the labour market, this will only be achieved if there are supportive investments in child and other care services. We found little evidence that such investment has taken place.