These dilemmas facing single mothers have become more pressing since November 2008, compulsory that receiving welfare benefits (which were called ‘Income Support’ (IS) at that time) had to be accompanied by active efforts of job-seeking. ‘Active’ efforts could include registering with recruitment agencies, writing a CV or spending a specified numbers of hours each week looking for jobs.
Work coaches from job centres would assess the pakistan rcs data extent to which these efforts were made by the single mothers. Mothers failing to meet these requirements would face punishment, ranging from formal warnings to suspension of welfare benefits.
While this ‘new’ policy took into account personal circumstances, such as health and home responsibilities, the levels of specific support to the mothers were reported to be generally low. Many single mothers were therefore living with constant distress because of the regular and rigorous scrutiny due to welfare receipt, which is also called ‘welfare conditionality’.
With this new policy in place, gone were the days when single mothers in benefit receipt could ‘voluntarily’ seek employment, before their children turned 16 years of age. Under the policy change in 2008 – the Lone Parent Obligation (LPO) policy, single mothers receiving benefits needed to actively seek employment once their youngest child turned 12 years of age. The age threshold for IS eligibility was further reduced to age seven (October 2010), five (May 2012), and three (April 2017).