Women and Girls Must Be Central to Economic Growth
Soroptimist International Great Britain and Ireland (SIGBI) has welcomed measures announced in the Chancellor’s Budget that recognise the challenges facing women and girls, including support for carers, investment in women-led businesses, action to tackle misogyny, and progress towards a National Care Service.
Gillie O’Rourke, SIGBI’s President, said: “This Budget contains several welcome measures that recognise the realities of women’s lives, particularly unpaid caring responsibilities, women’s entrepreneurship, and the need to tackle violence against women and girls.
“However, lasting progress will depend on whether these commitments are matched by sustained action to address the gender pay gap and remove the structural barriers that continue to limit women’s economic participation and independence.”
Below, we explore the Budget’s key announcements and what they could mean for women and girls across the UK.
Carer’s Allowance
Women make up the majority of unpaid carers, providing vital support to families and communities. For too long, carers have been penalised for taking on extra hours or accepting a pay rise, at the risk of losing essential financial support.
Replacing the Carer’s Allowance cliff edge with a digital taper system is therefore a welcome and long-overdue reform. It will help carers increase their earnings without facing a sudden loss of income or being pushed into debt through overpayments.
However, with implementation not expected for four years, many carers will continue to face financial pressures. We urge the Government to consider interim support while these reforms are put in place.
National Care Service
Following today’s Autumn Budget announcement, we welcome progress towards a National Care Service, recognising the potential of high-quality, accessible care to reduce the burden on families and support more women to participate fully in employment and wider society.
However, the long-term success of these reforms will depend on sustainable funding, workforce capacity and timely delivery to ensure those who need care, and those who provide it, see meaningful benefits.
Women-led Businesses and Parental Pay
Female entrepreneurs continue to face barriers in accessing finance and investment, particularly when starting from scratch. Targeted support can help unlock opportunities and address longstanding inequalities.
The extension to parental pay is also a welcome step. It is long overdue, but it is a significant move in the right direction for families and helps level the playing field on caregiving responsibilities. This is particularly important as many women must navigate early parenthood alone. Easing that pressure also makes it more realistic for women to start and grow a business.
However, the success of these measures will depend on ensuring they are accessible, well-funded and capable of supporting women to start, sustain and scale their businesses over the long term.
VAWG and the Misogyny Prevention Fund
The Government’s continued focus on tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG), now includes the introduction of the new Misogyny Prevention Fund.
Recognition that prevention has a crucial role to play, alongside victim support and criminal justice measures, is an important step and one that we’ve campaigned a long time for.
We hope to see further investment across relevant prevention and support services to ensure the Government can enable lasting change, and that the symbolic importance of these measures is reflected in the lived reality experienced by women and girls.
Cost of Living
The cost-of-living crisis continues to disproportionately affect women, who are more likely to be in low-paid or part-time work and are more likely to shoulder caring responsibilities.
The Government’s commitment not to raise income tax provides some reassurance that take-home pay and household budgets will not face additional pressure at a time when many families are already stretched. Measures to reduce food costs and manage everyday expenses will also be particularly important for women, who often bear the greatest responsibility for household finances.
Like with everything else, sustained action on wages, along with support for childcare, housing and financial security will be essential to deliver meaningful long-term improvements for women and their families.
Support For First-time Buyers
For many women, particularly single women and single parents, saving for a deposit and purchasing a first home remains a significant challenge. We welcome the measures that support first-time buyers and improve access to affordable housing.
Housing security underpins economic security, and helping more women achieve home ownership can contribute to greater financial independence and stability (for them and their families) both now and later in life.
The Conversation Must Continue
At SIGBI, we believe that while this Budget contains several positive measures, significant gaps remain. We remain optimistic about the potential of devolution to deliver improved public services that better reflect the needs of everyday women, but this must be backed by long-term investment, including sustainable funding for voluntary and community organisations like that called for by Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips.
We would also have welcomed greater attention to childcare reform and the gender pay gap, which were either only briefly referenced or absent from the wider agenda. Progress has been made, but much more is needed to improve equality for women and girls across the UK.
As a charity, we remain committed to championing practical solutions that improve the lives of women and girls, both locally and globally. To learn more about our work and how you can help drive positive change in your community, visit: https://sigbi.org/