Welfare State
Government sponsored programs to improve social and economic well-being of individuals and families
Social Policy
Social arrangements aimed at the distribution of social resources and the promotion of the welfare of the individual and society
Family Policy
- Subfield of social policy
- Concerned with problems of families in relation to society and advancement of family well-being
- laws relating to family issues
- policies to help family income
- provision of direct services
Family Policy in Canada
No explicit family policy outside of Quebec!
- only implicit policies that directly or indirectly affect families
- influenced by ideology of political party in power
2 Ideologies that have directed most family-oriented policies
- Patriarchal Model
2. Individual Responsibility Model
Patriarchal Model
- husband/father responsible for the economic well-being of the family
- wife/mother responsible for household/personal care of family members
Individual Responsibility Model
Each partner viewed as responsible for his or her own support
Parenthood and Child Care
- Child care is a major policy challenge
- affects gender equality
Education, Income and Work
Educational qualifications as determinants of life chances
- Rural/urban and regional variations in access to post-secondary institutions and good jobs
Double squeeze
Pressure on economic resources and on time and energy needed for family, work and community commitments
- Challenge to balance family and work responsibilities
- unpaid work
Partnership Formation and Dissolution
Need programs to support healthy families and intimate relationships
- Important to have community support
- culturally sensitive community programs and services
Seniors, Caregiving & Dependency
By 2031 it’s expected that 25% of the population will be over 65 years old
- Need policy to meet the needs of new population
- Ethnically diverse
- Caregiver programs
Health Care and Social Services
- Financial and other barriers
- some services only partially insured
- Geographic isolation restricts access
Policy Development
Complicated, multi-faceted political process
Advocate
Endorse and actively works for a course of action that improves community and family life
Researcher
Proposes and establishes family policy
Policy evaluation
A type of policy research
Family ideologies
incorporate a set of family-related values and beliefs that reflect the interests and beliefs of a social group or society and form the basis of political action
Globalization
refers to the world scale of economic and other market activity facilitated by the expansion of telecommunications technology
Neo-liberalism
supports the restructuring of welfare societies to better meet the demands of a global market economy. This political rationality stresses competition and personal responsibility
Unintended family policy consequences
are the negative effects on family life that result from well-intentioned government policy
