ABSTRACT
This chapter demonstrates how the set of options defining the current means-tested Social Assistance system in the UK can be identified as the cause of many current problems, often failing those who depend on it, especially women. It summarizes the ways in which a Citizen's Basic Income (CBI) could have beneficial outcomes for women. Estimates for Minimum Income Standards confirm that households with two adults require less than twice that required by a comparable single-adult household, due to household economies of scale (HES). In a recent basic income pilot project in India, everyone in the pilot communities had bank accounts into which their CBI could be paid and women's status was reported to be enhanced by their new financial independence. It can help to reduce income poverty and provide financial security and contribute to the emancipation of women, giving them more life choices. Means-tested benefits (MTBs) can introduce disincentives to work-for-pay into the system.
