Worklessness on benefits is far wider than just 'unemployment'. Across Britain in the wake of recession, a total of 5 million men and women of working age are out-of-work on benefits. They are also unevenly spread across the country: in the worst 100 districts outside London, which cover nearly...

The high level of receipt of disability benefits in the UK was until the 1990s a problem predominantly affecting men. However, the number of women claiming—1.1 million—is now on a similar scale. The decline of heavy industry produced large numbers of men with ill health and limited...