Coping with Gendered Welfare Stigma: Exploring Everyday Accounts of Stigma and Resistance Strategies among Mothers Who Claim Social Security Benefits

Evans, Nancy ORCID: 0000-0001-7763-2434 (2022) Coping with Gendered Welfare Stigma: Exploring Everyday Accounts of Stigma and Resistance Strategies among Mothers Who Claim Social Security Benefits. SOCIAL POLICY AND SOCIETY, 21 (4). pp. 690-700.

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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s1474746422000070

Abstract

<jats:p>Drawing upon findings from a qualitative project exploring welfare stigma in the lives of women in Merseyside, this article examines experiences of stigma and resistance strategies among the mothers interviewed. The article provides insights into how gendered stigma manifests in the lives of mothers reliant on social security benefits in the present era of continued welfare reform. The mothers’ experiences of stigma are argued to revolve around the devaluation of caring labour, the perception that benefits are undeserved and the notion of ‘bad motherhood’. Furthermore, the article contributes to knowledge about stigma resistance strategies, including acknowledging the value of care and rejecting blaming narratives. Nonetheless, it is argued that owing to the power and pervasiveness of structurally-imposed stigma, individualised resistance strategies are limited and mothers must also engage in everyday stigma management techniques.</jats:p>

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Stigma, social security, gender, social reproduction, resistance
Divisions:	Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences > School of Law and Social Justice
Depositing User:	Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited:	07 Apr 2022 15:18
Last Modified:	18 Jan 2023 21:05
DOI:	10.1017/S1474746422000070
Open Access URL:	https://doi.org/10.1017/S1474746422000070
Related URLs:	Author Publisher
URI:	https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3152387