Families across the country are facing hard times. With inflation rising much faster than earnings, unemployment stubbornly high and the government about to embark on the most severe programme of fiscal austerity since the Second World War, living standards are being squeezed and women are on the frontline. With 80 billion British pounds set to be cut from public services over the next four years, the Women's Budget Group has shown the scale of the challenges facing women in the UK. In this article, the author points out that as the social costs of the cuts to public spending emerge, it is clear that without a radical reassessment of government economic policy, the livelihoods of women across the country will be put at risk. With women facing the greatest risks from spending reductions, the author contends that the consequences these cuts will have for the UK economy are significant.