Economic Developments: Changes to Welfare Flashcards
What did Thatcher believe the Welfare system had broken down?
The network of families helping each other
Why did Thatcher believe the Welfare system had negatively replaced incentives to work hard?
Because it was in place to help people out when they were not able to work
Why did Thatcher believe she was in the right to decrease spending on the welfare system?
She had seen that people were less in favour of it
How can it be seen that support for the welfare system had gone down from 1969 to 1979?
In 1969, 44% were in favour of the welfare system. By 1979, only 22% were in favour of it
Name a section of the welfare system where support for it remained high in the 1980s
The NHS
What happened with sickness leave in 1983?
It changed from being paid by public funds to being paid by employers
How long would employers pay sickness leave for their employees in terms of weeks?
8 weeks
What was the negative impact of the change to sickness pay?
Employers were discouraged to employ people with health problems
What did Thatcher reduce pensionsin relation to average male earnings in 1981?
23% of average male earnings
What were pensions down to in relation to average male earnings by 1993?
15%
