by Daniah Hathaway

Created on: May 08, 2010   Last Updated: May 09, 2010

Sadly I believe that too many stay at home mothers feel the pressure to return to work, from a variety of external sources. Here in the UK if you are not working we have two options of benefit to select, both pay the same, it is either Job Seekers Allowance or Income Support. The difference between the two is as follows:

JSA

1)      You need to sign on every week that you are unemployed in order to receive your benefit money.

2)      You have to be able to prove you are actively looking for work.

IS

1)      No need to sign on.

2)      A 6 monthly meeting has to be attended where you discuss your plans and when ready they assist you in finding work.

Even though you are not pressured into returning to work at the meetings the subject is brought up and they do their best to show that returning to work is in your best interests.

Financially I could not agree more, the myth that people on benefits are ‘raking it in’ is completely unfounded in the majority of cases. There are expectations to the rule however and these people make it harder for those of us who are being honest.

I wholeheartedly agree that the tax dodgers who claim benefit not for any substantial reason, only because they are too lazy to work should be pushed into work. But there are those among the masses that have worked for a number of years, paid our tax and national insurance so have a right to the benefits we are receiving, because we have helped pay for them in the first place. Stay at home mothers, and by this I mean mothers that have worked, should be given extra support on a financial scale to ensure they can give their children the time and attention they deserve. Of course this also goes for any stay at home fathers.

I think society in general has an issue with stay at home parents and it is mainly down to those who abuse the system. These cases are highlighted and people are aware of the teenagers who get pregnant, get a house because their parents have kicked them out. They then get their rent and council tax paid for, so from an early age they have learnt that not doing anything is profitable, so they have more children and get more money and the cycle repeats. In the end they are getting so much on benefits for their children that working would mean a ‘pay’ cut so to speak.

 This image has damage the reputation of all honest stay at home parents, and thus has created an environment where authorities now feel the need to endorse and push the issue of returning to work. In short authorities made the mess of lazy tax dodging parents, and they are now penalising those of us that have worked hard for years but want to enjoy the time with our children when they are little.

Final note; parents that are out of work due to illness or disability should not feel pressure to find work or feel guilty for not being capable of working.

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