Scottish Government Equality Outcomes: Pregnancy and Maternity Evidence Review

7 Housing and Place

7.1 There appears to be little information specifically relating to pregnancy and maternity within research on housing and place. There is information and advice available to tell pregnant women about their rights when pregnant⁶⁷. However, the specific experiences women during pregnancy and maternity in relation to housing and place do not seem to be well documented, and may indicate a research gap that should be considered further.

7.2 The Growing Up in Scotland (2008) study highlighted that, in general, people living in rural areas were less likely to have access to facilities and services (including swimming pools, advice centres and play groups) than those living in urban areas⁶⁸. This factor is likely to be as important for new mothers, as it is for those with older children. Later analysis of Growing Up in Scotland considered parents' use of services and - although this research included older children - it is interesting to note the conclusion that:

The parents whom service providers and policy-makers often most want to reach, i.e. those living in the most difficult circumstances, are those most reluctant to engage with services aimed at parents with young children. What is more, it is clear that policy-makers and service providers cannot rely on parents who do not engage with formal services having high levels of informal support to replace this because, particularly when their children are very young, this is not always the case⁶⁹.

7.3 A rapid evidence review for the EHRC explored the equalities analysis that had been conducted within Single Outcome Agreements, but found that neighbourhood indicators were rarely broken down into equalities dimensions such as gender or age. The authors argued that, if dimensions of equality were linked to place, or the most deprived neighbourhoods:

It would serve as a rationale for more policy attention. Examples of these can be found in identifying a high concentration of lone mothers, mothers who smoke during pregnancy and individuals with long-term ill-health in the most deprived neighbourhoods who were in need of more policy attention⁷⁰.

7.4 Little analysis is available of the expected implications of changes to housing benefit for women during the maternity or pregnancy period. A key concern for local authorities and housing providers is the planned reduction in housing benefit for social tenants, who are considered to be under-occupying their homes. Although this has led to concerns that tenants may seek to move to smaller homes (which are generally in short supply in Scotland), it is possible that these changes could reduce waiting times for transfers to larger houses for pregnant women - but this issue would need to be kept under review.

7.5 In addition, the housing benefit changes are likely to increase the number of people seeking housing or transfers over their working lives as they look for larger accommodation when children are born and growing, but smaller homes when children leave home. Combined with the wider welfare benefits changes, this points to housing being an important area to keep under review.