Managing precarity: Food bank use by low‐income women workers in a changing welfare regime

Abstract

Employment had risen to historically high levels in Britain before the coronavirus crisis; however, whereas work is traditionally conceptualized as a route out of poverty, this is no longer necessarily the case. Participation in non‐standard or low‐income work such as zero‐hour contracts, involuntary part‐time work and self‐employment is increasingly a feature of the labour market and in‐work benefits which top‐up low incomes have been pared back. This case study undertaken in the period before the coronavirus crisis takes a multi‐disciplinary approach in relation to three key questions: are working women resorting to food bank use in times of financial hardship?; to what extent is this a function of non‐standard working practices?; and is welfare reform a contributing factor? A three‐strand approach is taken: a synthesis of literature, an analysis of national data and in‐depth interviews with stakeholders involved with referrals to or delivery of emergency food provision within northern Britain. The findings highlight a growth in precarious employment models since the 2008/2009 recession and how this intersects with increasing conditionality in welfare policy. We contribute to the debate by arguing that ideological driven policy fails to acknowledge structural deficiencies in labour market demand and misattributes responsibility for managing precarious working patterns onto individuals who are already struggling to get by.

Good or bad jobs? Characteristics of older female part‐time work

“…Our study shows that compared with professionals, service/manual workers are approximately five times more likely to receive low pay and significantly less likely to be offered employment benefits. These results are consistent with previous findings regarding the structural segregation of low‐skilled workers into low‐paid, poor‐quality jobs (Beatty et al, 2021; Doeringer & Piore, 1971; Ní Léime et al, 2017). Interestingly, our research shows that service sector employment has little effect on pay, pension cover and other employment benefits.…”

“…Various theories from both the economic and sociological perspectives have attempted to explain the proliferation of part‐time working by females in recent decades including the workings of labour markets, individual attributes such as education and work experience, constraints and preferences (Beatty et al, 2021; Ben‐Porath, 1967; Doeringer & Piore, 1971; Gash, 2008; Hakim, 2000, 2002; Matteazzi et al, 2014; McRae, 2003; Tilly, 1992).…”

Mediating the claim? How ‘local ecosystems of support’ shape the operation and experience of UK social security

“…In terms of achieving subsistence, external actors also play a particularly important role when those financially struggling are unable to access (adequate) money from the DWP. In these cases, charities, social support networks and local authorities are providing resources to low‐income households when central government fails to do so, acting as a ‘last safety net’ for those financially struggling (Beatty et al, 2021; Beck & Gwilym, 2022; Hill et al, 2021).…”

The Nutritional Quality of Food Donated to a Western Australian Food Bank

“…This is concerning given some clients use food banks as frequently as grocery stores [ 25 ] and the food sourced from food banks can comprise over half of a client’s total daily dietary intake [ 26 , 27 ]. The major predictor of food bank patronage is financial hardship due to low, limited, or insecure income [ 28 , 29 , 30 ]. People who are living alone, single parents, the un- or underemployed, social welfare benefit recipients, and people with a disability or mental illness are more likely to experience food insecurity and require food relief [ 31 , 32 , 33 ].…”