Disabled women will be disproportionately impacted by the changes introduced in the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill, highlights a new joint report by the Women’s Budget Group and Sisters of Frida.

 Bringing together both quantitative data and 80 personal testimonies, this new report shines a light on how the changes to PIP and the UC health element will likely deepen disabled women’s economic insecurity, increase their vulnerability to violence and abuse, push them out of the labour market, and make parenting harder.

 With the bill’s second reading and vote approaching and the threat of a large rebellion, the Government have now made some concessions. Changes will now only apply to new claimants from 2026, and the Government will now consult on those changes. The Government have now an opportunity to work closely with disabled people and representative organisations to find a solution that protects the incomes, safety and dignity of disabled people, and women in particular.  

 As reforms stand, more women will be impacted than men:

●      52% of female PIP claimants don’t score 4 points in any one activity compared to 39% of male claimants. This is likely due to the higher prevalence of musculoskeletal conditions and arthritis among women, conditions which are less likely to score 4 points in one indicator.

●      Of those losing out as a result of the full package of reforms outlined in the Green Paper, 44% are single women, facing an average loss of £1,610 per year, while single men represent 34%, with an average loss of £1,460. The changes are estimated to push 50,000 children will be pushed into poverty.

●      Although current claimants will be protected, as reforms stand, women will still be disproportionately affected by stricter eligibility rules to PIP and cuts to UC health element.

 Women will be put at greater risk of domestic abuse and control

●      Disabled women experience domestic abuse at over twice the rate of non-disabled women. For many, PIP is the only individual income they receive and losing this independence is a recurrent source of worry for respondents. Not having access to this source of individual support may put future female claimants at risk.

 Their already lower living standards will fall further

●      Previous WBG analysis found that disabled women were set to lose 11% of their 2010 living standards by 2028 even before the March 2025 reforms were announced.

●      Women constitute three-quarters of those receiving both PIP and Carer’s Allowance, meaning they are the vast majority of those with low earnings that are disabled whilst caring for someone too.

●      The expected loss of income is already having an impact on women’s mental health. Respondents also expect their physical health to deteriorate and their lives to worsen. Even though current claimants might be protected from these cuts, more and more disabled people will face these issues if reforms go ahead for new claimants.

 Their access to paid income will be undermined

●      Disabled women are more likely to be in low pay than disabled men (19% and 13% respectively) and non-disabled men (9%).

●      PIP allows many women to be able to participate in the labour market, for example, pay for accessible transport and other adjustments. Losing it would force many to either reduce working hours or give up paid work altogether.

 One respondent said: “Many disabled people, like me, cannot work anymore and are ineligible for Universal Credit due to our partner’s earnings. Without PIP we have no financial independence and are utterly reliant on our partners to provide us with care, and money to access essential disability aids which allow us to be independent and access help. Without PIP my ability to access my disability aids will be dependent, not on my health need, but on my husband’s goodwill.”

 Another respondent said: “I am terrified. I am scared I’ll be left unable to pay for the specialist support I need to do basic life tasks. It would be harder to get out to appointments, collect medication, and experience any standard of personal care. I expect I would be forced to stop working (in the NHS!) as a result of the worsening health.”

 Dr Sara Reis, Deputy Director at the Women’s Budget Group, said: “The proposed changes will be devastating for disabled women, cutting away income that grants many of them independence. The Government already knows that it will push more people into poverty, but it also needs to be aware that these changes will make disabled women more vulnerable to abuse, make it harder for them to parent, and shut them out of jobs.

“We are glad to see the Government reconsidering the reforms and to consult on changes to PIP – disabled people should be at the centre of designing any changes to the disability benefit system. However, as reforms stand they will bring more and more people into poverty as new claimants will not have access to the same support as exists now.”

 Eleanor Lisney, Co-founder of disabled women and nonbinary people’s collective Sisters of Frida, said: “We do not believe this Government has seriously considered the profound devastation that the benefit cuts will have on disabled women (who have been bearing the brunt of austerity). They are proposing to cut support, which is deeply needed for survival, the extra costs of being disabled, assistive aids, personal assistants, and in many cases, personal care. There are also cuts to Access to Work which is a lifeline to having support to earn a living for many disabled people.

“The knock-on effects of all these cuts are alarming and will inevitably greatly exacerbate other public health issues for everyone. We hope that the Government will make the prudent decision to listen to disabled women and abandon the proposed reforms.”

The full report is available here.  Sisters of Frida is a collective of disabled women and non-binary folks. The Women’s Budget Group is the UK’s leading feminist economics think tank.  wbg.org.uk

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