Question

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what assessment she has made of the effect of the gender pay gap on levels of (a) financial domestic abuse and (b) child poverty.

The UK’s gender pay gap is now at a record low of 15.5%, but the Government recognises that closing the gender pay gap alone will not eliminate social issues such as financial domestic abuse and child poverty. Targeted support and interventions are essential.

In December 2015, we introduced the new domestic abuse offence of controlling or coercive behaviour in order to tackle purposeful patterns of behaviour over time to exert power, control, and coercion over another person, which includes financial and economic abuse. We are including economic abuse in the new statutory definition of domestic abuse to acknowledge the impact that economic abuse can have on a victim’s life. This will raise awareness and enable frontline professionals and the criminal justice system to better recognise and tackle it.

Our ambition is to level up across the country and to continue to tackle child poverty through our reformed welfare system that works with the labour market to encourage people to move into and progress in work wherever possible. The latest data from 2018/19 showed that only 3% of children in households where both parents work full-time were in absolute poverty (before housing costs) compared to 47% where one or more parent was in part-time work.

Our £30bn Plan for Jobs will support economic recovery through new schemes including Kickstart and Job Entry Targeted Support. We are also doubling the number of work coaches who, through our Jobcentre network, will provide more people with the tailored support they need to move back into work and towards financial independence.