The term social safety ‘net’ reflects the idea that life is unpredictable, and people are vulnerable, and so society should build a safety net to catch them when they fall. However, the ‘net’ metaphor implies a state of absorption where people are protected from falls but stay stuck in the net. Rather, our approach to social safety should be to provide support in ways that help people bounce back from adversity or climb out of poverty, but not in ways that they prefer to remain in the net or are unable to leave it.
