Cost of Living Crisis on Women

Hello! My name is Siobhán Harding and I work for Women’s Support Network (WSN) as a Research & Policy Officer.  My work involves research with local Women’s Centres and with Women’s Regional Consortium partners on the issues that impact on the lives of women in disadvantaged and rural areas.  The focus of this work over the last number of years has been on the impact of poverty, welfare reform, debt, unpaid care and the Cost-of-Living Crisis on women’s lives and the lives of their families. 

WSN is a feminist organisation that provides support and services to the network of Women’s Centres in Northern Ireland and is part of the Women’s Regional Consortium which consists of seven women’s sector organisations who work in partnership with each other, with government and statutory organisations to ensure that organisations working for women are given the best possible support in the work they do in tackling disadvantage and social exclusion.

I have been working in the area of poverty and social justice for many years and I feel very strongly that we should do everything we can to eradicate poverty in our society and in the world.  The impacts of poverty are so damaging not only to the people impacted (who are more likely to be women and children) but also to our local communities, economy and society as a whole not to mention the impact on already stretched public services. 

In June 2023, along with Ulster University we published a major research report on the impact of the Cost-of-Living Crisis on Women.  This research, carried out with 250 local women, showed that many are at crisis point forced to go hungry and cold and get into debt in order to be able to provide for their children and families as a result of rising prices for the most basic items.  Women shared their experiences of not being able to buy basic foods including baby formula and healthy food, particularly fresh fruit and vegetables, having to use foodbanks, skipping meals and living in cold homes.  The significant toll of the economic crisis was also evident on the women’s health, particularly their mental health, which suffered greatly as a result of the struggle to make ends meet on low incomes through social security benefits and low paid work.

Many of the women are having to make torturous decisions around feeding themselves and their families and heating their homes.  Often they are faced with no other choice but to go without themselves to make ends meet and the stark reality is that they are unable to live dignified, healthy lives. 

This research was full of personal evidence from women about the impact of the crisis on their lives and families.  I was privileged to be trusted with their words and experiences and I was and continue to be deeply impacted by carrying out this research.  I carry the women’s words with me to inform my work in lobbying policy makers and government to take action to address poverty.

 “My wee one is on formula milk and it’s £16 a tin now.  I was going without food to make sure she had it.  I was eating dry cereal just so she could get the formula she needed.  The stress I felt getting down to the bottom of her milk tin and thinking will I have enough to get her milk.” - Quote from research participant

You may well ask about how poverty links to peacebuilding and while it may not seem immediately obvious, poverty and conflict are widely understood to be closely connected. In order to build peace there is a need to relieve the inequalities which can cause and drive conflict and poverty is an inequality which is keenly felt in communities.  In terms of the women we spoke to it was clear that they were unable to think of little else other than trying to make ends meet and provide for their children and families as a result of the poverty they face.  As one woman said “we’re not living, we’re just existing” and this social insecurity clearly had impacts for their ability to participate in community, political and public life.

You can read the full research report ‘Women’s experiences of the Cost-of-Living Crisis’ here.