The gendered effects of joint assessment for couples claiming means-tested benefits

In most means-tested benefit systems, a couple’s needs, income and assets are aggregated in order to assess eligibility and the amount of entitlement. This system, based on outdated notions of financial support obligations between ‘husbands and wives’ and contested assumptions about income pooling, means that individuals in couples who share the same household have no independent right to means-tested benefits. This matters because empirical research shows that assessing eligibility and entitlement for means-tested benefits using the couple as the assessment unit can potentially restrict individual access to a personal income – affecting women in particular. This chapter explores joint assessment in means-tested, working-age benefits and its gendered effects on the distribution of resources inside female/male couple households. The issues raised, particularly for women but for partners in couples generally, are explored chiefly through the lens of United Kingdom working-age benefits. Options for reform are discussed, together with suggestions for future research.