STUDY UK Austerity Policy – a Feminist Perspective CLAIRE ANNESLEY January 2014  The Conservative-Liberal Democratic Coalition’s economic policies have inflicted major damage to the economic situation of women in Britain in terms of income, jobs and services, and much of the progress that had been made towards gender equality under successive Labour Governments has been knocked into reverse.  The overall picture shows that the Government is cutting expenditure on the welfare state but elsewhere it is willing to forego tax revenue in order to benefit certain – often electorally important – groups. This approach has significant gendered implications.  The Coalition’s approach to deficit reduction, emphasizing rapid cuts to the welfare state rather than increases in revenue, is particularly detrimental to women. Women in the UK are more reliant than men on the welfare state as a source of income, for public services and for employment.  The government’s approach does not promote gender equality. In contrast it is reversing many gains towards gender equality in incomes, employment and service provision that had been made before 2010. Analyses speculated that the measures were driven by an ideological desire to return to a traditional male breadwinner welfare state. The reintroduction of a transferable tax allowance for married couples announced in 2013 is one example for this.  The UK Women’s Budget Group(WBG) has called for the Coalition, and the Labour opposition, to replace the current approach with a Plan F, a feminist strategy for economic recovery which includes women, enables them to be financially autonomous, support their inclusion in paid employment and emphasizes and values care.