Tracy Gilbert – Usdaw Regional Officer for Scotland says: “One in four children living in Scotland are living in poverty. Child poverty and women’s poverty are inextricably linked, so tackling women’s poverty is critical to the long-term success of any child poverty strategy, as well as being an important aim in its own right.
 
“Women are at greater risk of poverty, are more likely to suffer recurrent and longer spells in poverty and have more debt than men. Because of unpaid caring responsibilities they often work fewer hours and as a result have fewer savings and smaller pensions.  The work women do in sectors like retail has long been undervalued and insecure.
 
“Research demonstrates that women’s efforts to shield their children from the effects of poverty mean they feel its effect more keenly. While we welcome the Scottish Child Payment, conference notes that the rising cost of living, with the cost of basic essentials rising fastest, means its value is falling and without urgent and sustained action the Scottish Government will miss the interim child poverty targets it has set itself.
 
“We welcome the Scottish Labour Party’s Action Plan to End Child Poverty and are calling on the Party to develop measures and commit to principles that specifically address the inadequacy of benefit rates received by parents and mothers as well as by children.  Also to address women’s disadvantaged labour market position and the many obstacles faced by low income, migrant, young and disabled mothers who want to take up paid work.”
 
Notes for editors:
 
Usdaw (Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers) is the UK's fifth biggest trade union with over 350,000 members. Most Usdaw members work in the retail sector, but the union also has many members in transport, distribution, food manufacturing, chemical industry and other trades www.usdaw.org.uk
 
For Usdaw press releases visit: http://www.usdaw.org.uk/news and you can follow us on Twitter @UsdawUnion