Social Policy

Question 1

Introduction

Answer 1

Although sociologist agree that social policy can have an important influence on family life they hold different views about what kinds of effect it has and whether these are desirable

Question 2

Which 5 views can you mention ?

Answer 2

Functionalists
New Right
Feminists
Marxists
Jacque Donzelot

Question 3

Functionalist

Answer 3

see state as acting in interests of society as a whole and its social policies as being for the good of all.

They see policies as helping families to perform their functions more effectively and make life better for their members

Question 4

Functionalist
Example/ evidence

Answer 4

Ronald Fletcher
-argues that the welfare state supports the family in performing its functions more effectively
-the existence of NHS NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE means that w/ the help of drs, nurses, hospitals and medicines, the family today is better able to take care of its members when they’re sick

Question 5

Evaluation of Functionalists
Feminists

Answer 5

Functionalists assume that all members of the family benefit from social policies, where as feminist argue that policies often benefit men at the expense of women

Question 6

Evaluation of Functionalists
Marxists

Answer 6

Fs assume that there is a ‘march of progress; w/ social policies steadily making family life better and better

WHEREAS

marxists argue that policies can also turn the clock back and reverse progress, e.g by cutting welfare benefits to poor families

Question 7

New right

Answer 7

criticise many existing government policies for undermining the family
-they argue that governments often weaken the family’s self-reliance by providing generous welfare benefits

Such as:
providing council housing for unmarried teenage mothers
cash payments to support lone-parent families

Question 8

Evidence for New Right

Answer 8

Charles Murray 1984
-argues that these benefits offer ‘perverse incentives’- that is, they reward irresponsible or anti-social behaviour

e.g
-growth of lone-parent families encouraged yu generous benefits means more boys grow up w/o a male role model authority figure
-this lack of paternal authority is responsible for a rising crime rate among young males

Question 9

Evaluation Of New Right
Feminists

Answer 9

Feminist argue that New Right views are an attempt to justify a return to the traditional patriarchal family that subordinate women to men and kept them confined to a domestic role

Question 10

Evaluation Of New Right
Feminists believe New Right wrongly assumes what ?

+ E.G

Answer 10

that the patriarchal nuclear family is ‘natural’ rather than socially constructed

cutting benefits would simply drive many poor families in to deeper poverty

Question 11

Feminist

Answer 11

argue that SPs simply reinforce patriarchal ideas about the roles and status for men and women.

E.G
tax and benefits policies may assume that husbands are the main wage-earners and that wives are their financial dependents
-this means women can find it difficult to claim benefits in their own right
-therefore reinforcing women’s dependence on their husbands

Question 12

Feminists
Example

Answer 12

Diana Leonard
-argues that although maternity leave policies benefits women, they also reinforce patriarchy in the afamily, by encouraging the assumption that the care of infants is the responsibility of others rather than fathers

Question 13

Evaluation Of Feminists

Answer 13

NOT ALL SPs are directed at maintaining patriarchy

Question 14

Name some SPs that are NOT directed at maintaining patriarchy

Answer 14

qual pay act
sex discrimination laws
benefits for lone parents
refuges for women escaping domestic violence
equal rights to divorce could all be said to challenge the patriarchal family

Question 15

Evaluation of Feminists
2.0
example

Answer 15

whether or no SPs promotes patriarchy often depends on the country.

Eileen Drew
-found that in more equal societies family policy is based on the belief that husbands and wives should. be treated the same

In sweden for example policies treat husbands and wives equally as responsible for both income-earnings and childcare.

Question 16

Marxist

Answer 16

Unlike functionalisys, Marxits sdoe not see SPs as benefiting all mebers of society eqyally.
they see the state and its policies serve capitalism
-e.g they see that the low level of state pensions as evidence that ocne workers are too old to produe profits they are ‘maintained; at the lowest possible cost

Question 17

Marxist do not accept

Answer 17

that there is a steady march of progress toward ever better welfare policies producing ever happier families

-they argue that improvements for w/c families, such as pensions or free healthcare, have often only been won through class struggle to extract concessions from the capitalist r/c

Question 18

Evaluation of Marxist
Functionalists

Answer 18

-would disagree that SPs works in the interest of the r/c
-see SPs as beemgoting all members of family
-allows family to perform its essential fucntions more effectively

Question 19

Evaluation of Marxist
Feminists

Answer 19

• feminists would argue that Marxists ifgnore the detrimental effect of family on women in particular

E.G
-maternity leave policies reinforces patriarchal assumptions that childcare is women’s work

Question 20

Jacque Donzelot

Answer 20

Policing families
-like Marxists and feminist, Donzelot sees SP asa from of state power over families
-he argues that social workers, health visitors and drs use their knowledge to control and change poorer families

Question 21

Jacque Donzelot
Example

Answer 21

-state may seek to control and regulate family life by imposing compulsory parenting orders through courts
-parents of young offenders, truants or badly behaved children may be forced to attend parenting classes to learn the ‘correct’ way to bring up their children

Question 22

Evaluation of Jacque Donzelot
Marxists and Feminists

Answer 22

-criticise Donzelot for failing to identify clearly who benefits from such SPs of surveillance

-Marxists argue that SPs generally operate in the interests of the capitalist class, while feminists argue that men are the main beneficiaries