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AQA A Level Sociology > Families and Social Policy > Flashcards

Families and Social Policy Flashcards

1
Q

What is a social policy?
Who is it introduced by?
Why are they introduced?

A

A plan/course of action introduced by the government in attempt to dole a particular issue - by Governments to reduce/cute social problems.

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2
Q

What are the 2 types of social policy to do with the family?

A
  • Social polices which aren’t aimed at families but still effect them.
  • Social polices which are designed to have a direct impact on the family.
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3
Q

Give 2 examples of Social policies which aren’t aimed at families but still effect them:

A
  • Minimum wage policy means families don’t get exploitated = parents can provide for their family.
  • Leaving school age has been raised meaning children rely on their parents for longer.
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4
Q

Give 2 examples of social policies designed to have a direct family impact:

A
  • Divorce Reform Act 1969 , people can escape empty shell marriages.
  • Domestic Violence Laws mean it is illegal to abuse your partner.
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5
Q

What do the decisions made by the government reflect?

A

Their own political views and ideology about what is desirable in terms of family structures, roles and relationships.

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6
Q

Other governments (outside of the UK) can be quite…

A

Extreme

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7
Q

Give 3 examples of extreme policies introduced by other governments around the world:

A
  • China’s ‘one child policy’ , people who complied got perks e.g. free childcare.
  • Russia needed to prepare for war: banned abortion, divorce laws tightened etc.
  • Romania tried to drive up the birth rate: restricted contraception, banned abortion & lowered age of marriage to 15. (1980’s’)
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8
Q

When did the Conservatives come into power and when did they finish?

A

1979

Lost power in 1997.

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9
Q

What did the right-wing politicians (conservatives) Desire?

A

New right policies - nuclear, traditional family.

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10
Q

What did the New Right / Conservatives believe about the family?

A

It is the building block society & it is based on 2 parents in a heterosexual marriage.

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11
Q

What are the New Right / Conservatives critical of?

A

Cohabitation
Lone parents
Sex before marriage etc

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12
Q

What did Murray do?

A

He was critical of government policies and said that they contributed to the decrease in nuclear families.

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13
Q

How did Murray argue that the government policies caused a decrease in nuclear families? (2)

A
  • young pregnant women had it safe in their knowledge that the government would financially support them.
  • fathers could abandon their kids knowing the government would finally support them so he doesn’t have to.
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14
Q

Why are the New Right / Conservatives critical of divorce laws?

A

Because they believe it’s too easy.

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15
Q

Give 5 policies introduced by the Conservative Government in 1979-97

A
  • married couples tax allowance
  • benefit cuts
  • child support agency
  • privatising care for the elderly
  • refusal to reduce costs of childcare
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16
Q

Explain the ‘Married Couples Tax Allowance’

A
  • tax designed to encourage marriage = married couples payed slightly less tax than lone parent and cohabiting couples did.
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17
Q

Explain the ‘Benefit Cuts’ policy:

A
  • benefits for single parent families cut, benefits for 16-18 year olds who didn’t work/are in education ‘NEETS’ - wanted family to take responsibility for them.
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18
Q

Explain the ‘child support agency’ policy:

A
  • set up to force single parents, mainly fathers, to pay for their kids - they would be tracked down. Wanted to stop single parents relying on benefits. Also wanted to discourage divorce.
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19
Q

Explain the ‘Privatising care for the elderly’ policy:

A
  • increased cost of care for the elderly means families should take responsibility for them. Also reinforced gender roles as usually the woman would look after them.
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20
Q

Explain the ‘refusal to introduce reduced cost childcare’ policy:

A
  • reinforced gender roles and encouraged women to quit their jobs and stay at home with their kids.
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21
Q

Who criticised the New Right / Conservative policies?

A

Feminists argued that their policies didn’t improve gender equalities & also ‘blamed the victim’ e.g. lone parents don’t want to be alone!

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22
Q

The family policies introduced by the New Right / Conservatives increased…

A

Inequalities and poverty.

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23
Q

What did Blair say in the Labour conference of 1997?

A

That the government should help the people strengthen their family life through policies rather than punishing them for their family life.

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24
Q

How did Silva and Smart criticise the New Labour policies?

A

They state that the policies were based around strengthening the conventional families.

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25
Q

How do Labour perspectives on the family differ but are also similar to Conservatives views?

A

Similar = they do agree that the nuclear family is the most desirable and strong unit.

Differ = they don’t believe in the gender roles and instead support a dual earner family.

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26
Q

Explain the ‘New Deal’ Labour policy:

A

Designed to help and assist single parents to return the work by e.g. paying for their college fees.

27
Q

Explain the ‘Working Families Tax Credit’ Labour policy:

A

For low income families , they can claim tax relief against a proportion of their child care costs.

28
Q

Explain the ‘More generous maternity leave and pay and paternity leave’ Labour policy:

A

Sends a clear important message of support and acceptance that both parents are likely work and that fathers have an increased role in family life.

29
Q

Explain the ‘Free childcare for two and a half year olds’ Labour policy:

A

Made it easier for parents to return to work and provided free preschool care for children from poorer backgrounds.

30
Q

Explain the ‘Winter fuel payments for the elderly’ Labour policy:

A

Designed to assist with heating costs and reduce health issues.

31
Q

Explain the ‘Adoption and children act’ Labour policy:

A

2005 - single, cohabiting couples and homosexuals have the right to adopt kids like married couples.

32
Q

Explain the ‘Civil partnership act’ Labour policy:

A

Gave same sex couples who entered a civil partnership the same legal rights as married couple led in relation to pensions and inheritance etc

33
Q

What do some people say is the reason that there are so many family friendly policies in the Labour Government?

A

Because there was a large proportion of women in MP positions.

34
Q

What did critics say of the New Labour policy?

A

New Right / Conservatives say that Blair intervened too much and was causing a ‘nanny state.’

35
Q

What does Hayton say about how the Conservatives are divided?

A

Modernisers

and

Traditionalists

36
Q

What are Modernisers?

A

A group who recognise that families are more diverse and are willing to reflect this in their policies.

37
Q

What are Traditionalists?

A

Those who favour a New Right view and reject diversity as morally wrong.

38
Q

How was the influence of the Traditionalists weakened?

A

By the fact that the Conservatives had to power in the coalition with the Liberal Democrat’s.

39
Q

What was the joint government called? (2010-2015)

A

Coalition Government.

40
Q

What was the Labour side of the joint government introducing?

A

Nick Clegg - introduction of gay marriage. Increase in paternity benefits.

41
Q

What was the Conservative side of the Government introducing?

A

David Cameron - promoting policies suggesting that the nuclear family is still desirable and superior.

42
Q

Name 5 policies and explain what they did introduced by the Conservative side of the Coalition Government:

A
  • reintro of married couples tax allowance = marriage is essential.
  • the legal aid budget cut = people would stay married for financial reasons because of this even if they were in danger.
  • child benefit became means tested.
  • troubled families programme = designed to help families who cause problems because they’re an expensive family unit.
  • scaling back and cutting of benefits reduced nany state.
43
Q

Critics of the Coalition Government argued… (2)

A
  • that their financial austerity policies would make it more difficult for poorest people in society.
  • attack them for not suggesting alternatives to the nuclear family = society is different and they should reflect that.
44
Q

What do Functionalists think about social policy?

A

They are in favour of them as they believe that they help families perform functions properly. Assumes there has been a “march of progress”

45
Q

What does Fletcher (Functionalist) say about social policy?

A

He says that the intro of health, education policies has led to the welfare state which supports families.

46
Q

What do Marxists think about social policy?

Give an example:

A

They see the state and its policies as serving capitalism.
E.g. low level pensions show that once workers are old, they are just low costs to the government - nothing more because they are no longer useful to them.

47
Q

What do Feminists think about social policy?

A

That they all help to maintain the subordinate position of women and inequality.

48
Q

What does Land (feminist) say about social policies?

A

That (social policies) they often assume that the ideal family is the patriarchal system. Tax and benefits policies have assumed that the main wage-earner is the husband

49
Q

What does Leonard (Feminist) say about social policies?

A

That even where policies appear to help women, they act as a form of social control over women e.g. maternity leave is more generous than paternity.

Encourages idea that women are meant to stay at home to look after kids.

50
Q

Child Benefit is normally paid to…

A

The mother - assumes that the child’s welfare is just her responsibility.

51
Q

How have Feminists been criticised about their outlook on social policy?

A

Because not all policies are directed at maintaining patriarchy.

E.g. equal pay and sex discrimination acts challenge the patriarchy.

52
Q

What do Postmodernists e.g. Donezelot think about social policies?

A

Social policies are a form of state power over families e.g. professionals like doctors and social workers exercise power over patients because of their ‘expert’ knowledge.

THE POLICING OF FAMILIES
- method of controlling people ‘suggestions’

53
Q

What do Postmodernists highlight?

A

That surveillance is not targeted at all social classes. Mainly poor people who are seen as problems.

54
Q

What does Condry (Postmodernist) say about Social Policies?

What does this do?

A

He notes that the state may seek to control the parents of young offenders e.g. by imposing compulsory parenting orders.

Forced to learn the ‘correct’ way to bring up their pwn children.

55
Q

How is Donzelot and the Postmodernist Theory criticised and by who?

A

Marxists and Feminists day that he doesn’t identity who benefits from such policies (they think men and capitalist do)

56
Q

What do Feminists argue about a country’s policies on tax, childcare, welfare etc?

A

That they will affect whether women can work full-time or if they have to forget paid work to care for children.

57
Q

According to Feminists, who does social policy support?

A

The patriarchal family.

58
Q

What does Drew the Feminist do?

A

Uses the concept of ‘gender regimes’ to describe how social policies can either encourage or discourage gender equality in the family and at work.

59
Q

What are the 2 types of Gender Regimes according to Drew?

A
  • Familistic Gender Regimes

- Individualisatic Gender Regimes

60
Q

What are Familistic Gender Regimes?

A

Policies based on traditional Gender division e.g. in Greece there is little state welfare for children so women have to do it and quit their jobs.

61
Q

What are Individualistic Gender Regimes?

A

Policies based on the belief that husbands and wives should be treated the same. In Sweden, policies treat husbands and wives equal for both breadwinning and domestic tasks.

62
Q

Feminists point out that since the recession…

A

Cutbacks in government spending throughout the Europe has led to less welfare and more responsibility for caring for family members.

63
Q

What else has contributed to the trend of less welfare?

A

Neo-liberal welfare policies where individuals are encouraged to use the market rather than the state to meet their needs e.g. private healthcare.

AQA A Level Sociology (21 decks)

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