§ 8. Mr. Gwilym Robertsasked the Minister of Social Security if she will take action to give working wives, with husbands receiving pensions or other social security payments, the full single person's benefit in unemployment or sickness.
§ Miss HerbisonThis is only one aspect of the special position of married women in the National Insurance scheme, which is being examined in our general review.
§ Mr. RobertsWhile I am thankful that this is under review, would not my right hon. Friend agree that this is yet another example of discrimination between women? How many women are in this position? Can she give any logical reason why when a woman is the major bread-winner she should be treated differently from a male?
§ Miss HerbisonWhere the woman is the breadwinner and the husband is benefiting under her contributions, she is treated in exactly the same way as a man. On the question of married women generally, they have the right that no man or single woman has of opting out of the insurance scheme altogether. We find that of 4½ million married women at work only about 1.1 million pay the full insurance contribution.