Filling in the middle: the ‘workless’ frame in action in UK welfare reform

The gender-blind ‘workless’ frame has been increasingly prominent in UK welfare discourse recent decades and played a significant role the political justification of Universal Credit – key plank reform since 2013. Meanwhile, highlighted as problematic for gender equality. This article seeks to ‘fill middle’ between use discourse, including at agenda-setting stage Credit, gendered implications Credit. It does this by analysing how functions government evaluation frameworks impact assessments (including equality assessments), implementation (drawing on secondary analysis interviews with claimants focus groups practitioners). suggests that is promoting rowback de-gendering welfare, devaluing care particularly performed lone parents undermining sharing couple households.