This feature details reaction to the British Government's Social Security Reform in 1985. The government put forward a green paper  as a proposal.  Various criticisms were levelled at the Green Paper. 

The most significant aspect of the proposals involved the elimination of State Earnings Related Pension Scheme in favour of private pension plans. Maternity grants were to be replaced by a discretionary payment to low-income families. Payments of child benefits were to come out below inflation. The reforms assumed that women were dependant on their husbands, excluding those who were sole earners. 

Northern Irish women were particularly vulnerable due to cultural trends such as larger families, and other economic issues such as high unemployment and cost of living. Rights Activists believed the burden would fall disproportionately on women. This was because women often took on part time employment to support their families. This put them in the lower income bracket. Women's groups called for protests. You can watch one such protest in this report.