Available open access under CC-BY-NC-ND licence.The restructuring of the welfare state in the UK has marked a significant change in the way contemporary society is ordered and understood. This research monograph explores the implications of this restructuring for women and their attachments to unpaid care, paid work and activism over time. Drawing on longitudinal research involving ethnographic and narrative inquiry in the south Wales Valleys, the contribution attends to the everyday politics of welfare through its rhetorical imaginings, the practices of street level workers and across the interactions of women themselves. Immersive and critical, the account provides valuable insights for our understanding of welfare restructuring and the future development of the welfare state.