Child maintenance fees: why Cameron doesn’t care about disadvantaging women

Another week, another policy that disproportionately affects women and those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Last week the government announced their plans to charge parents to use the Child Support Agency (CSA) – which under new proposals will be rebranded as the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) – the body that both calculates and collects the amount of child maintenance allowance due to parents. Following this, they sent out more than 50,000 letters to people that use the service (I use the term liberally). Of those contacted, payees have been told that they will have to pay 20% on top of their usual maintenance while recipients will pay 4%.

The government’s policy is intended to discourage parents from using the CSA and instead settle disputes privately. By doing so, what Cameron and his cohort fail to recognise is the intrinsic turmoil that comes with separation, which often makes it too difficult for both sides to agree on the appropriate financial agreement. The CSA provides an essential mechanism to achieve redress for all involved, acting as a neutral voice by gathering information on salaries and living expenses to calculate appropriate financial remunerations.

The effects of the new policy will most likely be gendered. Government statistics from 2011 show women head up around 90% of single parent households in the UK. Therefore it is usually the case that the mother is the recipient of maintenance payments and stand to suffer under the new system.

As it is, the CSA doesn’t work so well for them. Women often only go to the CSA as a last resort because they need financial certainty. It’s  hardly an efficient and easy to navigate system, infamous for its delays and mistakes. And often people don’t want the shame of admitting that they can’t resolve the situation amicably or that they need help. Women are also probably cautious of being seen as gold diggers post-separation (which is a whole other issue for another day). These fees could make the CSA even harder to access, meaning that many women might not get the financial support they need. As a child used the CSA, I know, regardless of how flawed it is, that it’s essential for many families to keep their head above water.

Just like the Bedroom Tax, this policy hits those who need a hand up the most because logic also dictates that middle class women are much less likely to approach the CSA as they have more financial independence. Therefore those that do access the CSA are some of the most deprived, who need, as opposed to just want the financial settlement. The wider political implication is that the announcement is symptomatic of the current government’s disregard for women and those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

None of this is to say fathers don’t face problems when parents separate. They too face financial disruption, and, as the custody statistics show they are often victims of a pro-mother justice system. It is heartbreaking to hear that of the 1,000 divorced fathers surveyed by the Cheltenham Group, 99% wanted more contact with their children and that around 40% of fathers lose all contact with their children within two years of separation. This suggests that when parents separate fathers lose out emotionally, mothers lose out financially.

But there is some reason for optimism. The news of Cameron’s changes to the CSA came on the same day that Ed Miliband launched his ten pledges, which included free child care, affordable housing and the energy price freeze, to help families up and down the country. The pledges really did illuminate the clear blue water between the two parties that for so long many have argued is too small.

Labour should continue to highlight the disparity on fairness between themselves and the Tories. We have both a moral duty and an electoral need to do so. Cameron’s policies on welfare, including this recent announcement over CSA, are a far cry from the “Compassionate Conservatism” he promoted in his early days. Labour should fill the void ahead of 2015 – that’s why I’m calling on them to pledge to remove the CSA fees as they have promised to abolish the Bedroom Tax