It was October last year when Scope, the disability equality charity, warned that the government is failing disabled people during the cost of living crisis.
Scope warned that the government’s one-off payments for people on disability benefits did not “touch the sides” and put people in a “life-or-death situation”.
Petitions were also launched calling for more significant support, and it was against this backdrop that the House of Commons petitions committee conducted a survey completed by almost 11,000 people about their experiences – as disabled people or relatives, friends and carers of disabled people – of financial support amid increases in bills.
On Monday, the survey was presented at a Westminster Hall debate by Labour MP Marsha De Cordova. The tone of many of the reactions was stark.
Here, from that survey, are some testimonies that expose the raw everyday realities of many disabled people during the cost of living crisis.
Introduction to Marriage and Family
Christina and James encounter in college and have been seeing for over five years, and they have lived in a condo they purchased jointly for two years. While Christina and James were assured of their decision to undertake a commitment like a 20-year mortgage, they were unsure if they wanted to enter into marriage. The pair had many discussions about marriage and marked that it just did not seem necessary. Wasn’t it only a piece of paper? Moreover, only a portion of all marriages end in divorce.
Neither Christina nor James had seen much success with marriage while growing up. A single mother raised Christina. Her parents never wed, and her father has had slight touch with the family since she was an infant. Christina and her mother reside with her maternal grandmother, who often obeyed as a surrogate parent. James expanded up in a two-parent household until age seven, when his parents separated. He resided with his mother for a few years and then behind with his mother and her boyfriend until he left for college. James endured close to his father, who espoused and had a baby with his current wife.
Newly, Christina and James have been sensible about their children, and the marriage subject has been revisited. Christina likes the idea of her children fattening up in a customary family. At the same time, James is concerned about possible marital problems down the road and a negative result for the children should that occur. When they shared these covers with their parents, James’s mom knew the couple should marry. Despite own been divorced and having a live-in boyfriend of 15 years, she trusts that children are superior when their parents are married. Christina’s mom trusts the couple should do whatever they desire but adds that it would “be nice” if they wed. Christina and James’s friends told them they would still be a family if they were married or not married.
Christina and James’s scenario may be complicated, but it is typical of many young couples today, especially those in urban areas (Useem, 2007). Statistics Canada (2012) describes that the number of unmarried, common-law couples grew by 35 per cent between 2001 and 2011 to 16.7 per cent of all families in Canada. Cohabitating but unwed couples account for 16.7 per cent of all families in Canada. Some may never pick to wed (Jayson, 2008). The typical Canadian family structure is becoming less common, with fewer couples marrying. Nevertheless, although the portion of traditional married couples has declined as a part of all families, at 67 per cent, it is still the predominant family structure.
What Is Marriage? What Is a Family?
Marriage and family are critical structures in most societies. While the two institutions have historically been firmly linked in Canadian culture, their connection is fetching more complex. The connection between marriage and family is an exciting topic of study for sociologists.
What is marriage? People define it differently, and sociologists cannot agree on a single meaning. For our motive, we will define marriage as a legally recognized social commitment between two people, traditionally based on a sexual connection and implying the permanence of the union. In creating an inclusive definition, we should also consider variations, such as whether a legal union is needed (think of “common-law” marriage and its equivalents) or whether added than two people can be inculpated (contemplate polygamy). Another difference on the definition of marriage might comprise whether spouses are of conflicting
sexes or the matching sex and how one of the customary expectations of marriage (to produce children) is understood today.
Sociologists are intent on the relationship between the institution of marriage and the organization of family because, historically, marriages create a family, and brood is the most basic social unit upon which society is erect. Both marriage and family create rank roles that are sanctioned by society.
