Siobhán is starting work on a new research paper looking at the issue of women and debt.  This is a follow-up to a previous paper Making Ends Meet published in February 2020. This research paper will look at the impact of the pandemic on debt levels focusing on low-income women.  It will look at the impact of the end of Government help such as furlough, mortgage/credit card payment holidays and the cut to Universal Credit.

The research will focus on:

• The type of debt women have;
• The reasons for getting into debt;
• The issues they experience in repaying their debts;
• How easy it is to access support with their debts;
• The impact of the loss of Government support for the pandemic;
• The personal impacts of being in debt including mental health and the impact on children in families;
• The impact of help received through Women’s Centres.

Siobhán is planning a series of focus groups to speak to women about this issue and will also carry out a number of one-to-one interviews with women as the basis of more detailed case studies.  If you feel you are able to contribute to this research in any way either through setting up a focus group or providing contact details for individual case studies please contact Siobhán at policy@wsn.org.uk.