4. FAMILIES AND SOCIAL POLICY Flashcards
Functionalist Perspective - Social Policy
Social policies are good for all – help families to perform functions better
Donzelot’s (Policing the Family) Perspective - Social Policy
Social policies are a form of state power and control over families
argues that social workers, health visitors and doctors use their knowledge to control and change families
The New Right Perspective - Social Policy
Social policies have encouraged major negative changes + undermined NF
Feminism Perspective - Social Policy
Social policies help to maintain women’s subordinate position + unequal gender of division in the family
Marxism Perspective - Social Policy
Social policies help to control the W/C and benefit the R/C
Fletcher (1966) - Social Policy
.The introduction of health, education and housing policies in the years since the industrial revolution has gradually led to the development of a welfare state that supports the family in performing its functions more effectively
→The existence of the NHS means that with the help of doctors the family today is better able to take care of its members when they are sick.
Condry (2007) - Policing the Family
the state may seek to control and regulate family life by imposing compulsory Parenting Orders through the 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 children
Functionalist Criticisms - Social Policy
.It assumes that all members of the family benefit equally from social policies, whereas feminists argue that policies often benefit men more than women.
.It assumes that there is a ‘march of progress’ with social policies, gradually making life better, which is a view criticised by Marxists (welfare benefits cut)
Social Policies Undermining NF
.Laws making divorce easier undermine the idea of a lifelong commitment
.The introduction of civil partnerships for gay and lesbian couples – sending wrong idea that undermines the heterosexual marriage
They see increased family diversity and freedom as detrimental to society - ↓ Social Stability
Land - Social Policies are Patriarchal
Patriarchal policies will encourage marriage & the gendered division of labour. Policies reinforces this norm and creates a self-fulfilling prophecy as everyone sees it as normal and the way to live if everyone else is in a nuclear family!
Feminism - Patriarchal Family Policies
.Tax and benefits policies may assume that husbands are the main wage earners and that wives are their financial dependent
.Childcare – while the govt does pay for some childcare in places, it’s not always enough for parents to work full time.
.Care for the sick and elderly – Govt expect family to do this = usually the woman who does this
Leonard (1978) - Feminist - Social Policies
Policies that seem to benefit women often actually benefit men more E.g. Maternity Leave, Child Benefit being paid to Women
= reinforces gender roles!
Drew (1995) - Gender Regimes
family policies help to promote gender regimes that can prevent or reinforce gender inequality in the family
assume that men are the main breadwinners who support their wives. Females are careers & homemakers.
1979 – 2019 Prime Ministers
1979 - Margaret Thatcher \
CONSERVATIVE
1990 - John Major /
1997 -Tony Blair \
NEW LABOUR
2007 - Gordon Brown /
2010 - David Cameron \
2016 - Theresa May CONSERVATIVE
2019 - Boris Johnson /
Social Liberalism Definition
a belief in gender equality and acceptance of a wide variety of different types of family
