Low Income Self-Employment: Work, Benefits and Living Standards (Cash & Care)

Little is known about the realities of the low income self-employed and the relationship people have with the social security system. This work focuses on the lower income self-employed and moves against the commonly held view of the self-employed as affluent and self-sufficient. Although the sector is still largley male dominated there have been rises in the number of women in self-employment, as it seems to provide a way to combine work and their caring roles. The book concludes with a discussion of risk and insecurity in an enterprise culture, and evaluates the benefits of self-employment and the implications for social security.