Alongside the reduction in the amount spent on social welfare the government is attempting to reinforce the Victorian distinction between deserving poor and non- deserving poor. The blame for the cutbacks is shifted onto the poor themselves rather than on the government's own social and economic policies. They're pitting single mother against old age pensioner in an attempt to divide, rule and deflect attention from the real causes of poverty in society. It has also been argued that Back to Basics is a bid to drive women into the workplace in an attempt to drive wages down. However the facts don't necessarily agree with this.
Women constitute the majority of the part-time workforce.
They can be hired when required and let go when the market slumps. Union organisation has meant that employers haven't been able to drive wages down for existing workers. In Britain the number of women employees will for the first time exceed the number of men with jobs. However, such is the level of unemployment in Britain at the moment, the Tories don't have any problem getting people into low paid jobs as it is. The motivation behind Basic to Basics is to drive down the cost of the Welfare State.