The Beveridge report: its impact on women and migrants

Produced during World War Two, the Beveridge Report in Britain became a blueprint for a new welfare state. Designed to tackle the five giants of Want, Disease, Squalor, Ignorance and Idleness, it gave hope to a war weary British public. Based on a system of social insurance, it promised security in times of unemployment, sickness, accident and old age. While it was welcomed by many, in time it came to be viewed as both racist and sexist. Enshrining an ideology of family that was based on the male breadwinner model, provisions within the Report actively prevented women reaching full citizenship as we know it. A welfare state that perceived the citizen as white, male and engaged in full-time life-long paid employment also denied full citizenship to those who did not fulfill these criteria, including immigrants. This article will argue that Beveridge was essentially flawed as a result of its blinkered view of the citizenry