Impact of the unconditional basic income on the professional situation of women

Abstract

Unconditional basic income (UBI) is one of the instruments directly impacting its beneficiaries and their situation in the labor market. The most critical aspects of UBI’s impact on the labor market include labor supply and demand, the bargaining power of employees and the situation of employers, and the recognition of socially beneficial work as equivalent to gainful employment. The study aims to analyze the declared impact of the unconditional basic income on the professional situation of one of the groups of its beneficiaries - women whose bargaining power as employees is weakened and who perform socially beneficial housework. The study included in -depth interviews with four women who were on maternity leave. The results showed that UBI influences the position of the employee in the labor market, weakens employers and positively affects employees. The key issue for the respondents is the UBI amount, because a relatively small amount would be treated as additional income. UBI could strengthen the position of mothers with young children, provide greater psychological comfort and enable more effective forms of work, such as remote or part-time work.