Families and Households Topic 4 - social policy Flashcards
(17 cards)
Functionalist perspective on social policy (one theorist)
They see society built on harmony and consensus (shared values). See the state acting on behalf of its members best interests.
- Fletcher (1966) argues that the introduction of health, education and housing policies since the industrial revolution has led to the development of a welfare state
AO3: Criticisms of the functionalist theory
It assumes all members of the family benefit equally - feminists would argue that policies often benefit men at the expense of women
It assumes there has been a march of progress - Marxists would argue that policies can turn the clock back and reverse the progress made e.g. cutting welfare benefits to poor families
Policing the family (one theorist)
Donzelot (1977) sees policies as creating conflict in society and helping the state to exert power and control over families.
- Argues that policies allow professionals to carry out surveillance over families
- Argues that social workers, health visitors and doctors use their knowledge to control and change families, poor families are more likely to be seen as ‘problem’ families as the cause of crime and anti-social behaviours
New Right perspective of social policy
Believe that changes to divorce, cohab, same sex marriage and lone parenthood threaten the nuclear family and produce social problems such as welfare dependency:
- Laws make divorce easier, which undermines the idea that marriage is a life long commitment
- Introduction of civil partnerships and same sex marriage sends out the message that the state no longer sees heterosexual marriage as superior
- Tax laws discriminate conventional families with a male breadwinner
- Increases rights for cohab couples which sends out the message that the state doesn’t see marriage as special
Lone parent, welfare and the dependency culture (one theorist)
Murray (1990) is critical of the welfare policy. Providing generous welfare benefits undermines the nuclear family and encourages deviant and dysfunctional family types. Benefits offer incentives that reward irresponsible or anti-social behaviour:
- Fathers see the state maintaining their children so will abandon their responsibilities
- Providing council housing for unmarried mothers encourages young girls to become pregnant
- Growth of lone parent families, encouraged by benefits means more boys grow up without a male role model and authority figure
New Right solutions to dependency culture (4)
- Cuts in welfare spending and tighter restrictions on who is eligible for benefits
- Reducing taxes so fathers have more incentive to work and provide for families
- Denying council housing to unmarried teenage mothers removes the incentive to become pregnant when young
- Advocate policies to support traditional nuclear family such as taxes that favour the married
AO3: New Right criticisms
Feminists - it is an attempt to return to the traditional patriarchal nuclear family that subordinates women and confines them to a domestic role
Marxists - cutting benefits would simply take poor families and rive them further into poverty.
Labour Government policies 1942-1970 (5)
- Beveridge report 1942 -> introduced NHS and benefits system, aims to banish poverty and ‘want’
- Family Planning Act 1967 -> made contraception readily available through NHS, women have control, prevents unwanted pregnancy
- Legalisation of Abortion 1967 -> allows an abortion if the pregnancy would cause greater risk or harm to the mothers mental/physical health, decrease in mortality rates
- Divorce Reform Act 1969 -> enables divorce to become easier for unhappy couples to access, no longer need ‘grounds’ for divorce
- Equal Pay Act -> addresses the issue of gender-based pay discrimination, makes it illegal to pay men and women differently for doing the same/similar work
Conservative Government policies 1979-1997 (2)
- Section 28, 1988 -> states that local governments are prohibited from promoting homosexuality by teaching or publishing materials, causes harm as it promotes discrimination
- Child Support Agency 1993 -> ensures that absent fathers paid maintenance for the upbringing of their children, encourages traditional nuclear family
New Labour Government policies 1997-2010 (5)
- Sure Start centres 1997 -> compensatory education that recognises the achievement gap in early years education, aims to improve outcomes
- Working family tax credits 1997 -> encourages more women to get back in to work, people receive tax relief against childcare costs, worthwhile for families to go back to work
- Adoption and Childcare Act 2002 -> allows unmarried and same-sex couples to adopt, decreases discrimination
- Sexual Offences Act 2003 -> marital/spouse rape becomes illegal
- Civil Partnership Act 2004 -> enables homosexual couples to obtain a legally recognised binding of their relationship
Coalition Government policies 2010-2015 (5)
- Equality Act 2010 -> prevents discrimination based on: age, gender, disability, pregnancy, race, religion and sexual orientation
- Gay Marriage Act 2013 -> enables same sex couples to marry and receive same legal marriage benefits as heterosexual couples
- Universal Credit 2013 -> provides a benefit system with income for those out of work/low on income, potentially not enough to support a family
- Married Couples allowance 2013 -> tax breaks for married couples which promotes the nuclear family, child benefits only paid to married couples
- Cuts to legal aids 2013 -> people could no longer get help with family, employment, housing and debt problems. Lack of support for education and disability
Conservation government policies 2015-present (6)
- Two Child Benefit cap 2017 -> prevents parents from claiming child tax or universal credit for more than two children, creates financial struggles and childhood poverty
- Maternity Leave 2023 -> mothers entitled to 52 weeks leave, 39 weeks paid at 90%, fathers entitled to two weeks
- Child Benefit 2024 -> allows everyone to receive benefits for their children, no limits to the number of children
- Triple Lock Pensions 2024 -> state pension will increased by 4.1%
- Winter fuel payments 2024 -> pensioners or those on benefits with receive money to help pay for heating in winter
- 30 hours free childcare 2025 -> helps to increase working hours and flexibility which improves finances for families
Marxists views on government policies (6+, 2-)
+ Child Support Agency: absent fathers paying maintenance for upbringing of their children which prevents financial struggles
+ Child Benefits 2024: ensures everyone can receive benefits for their children despite social class
+ Universal Credit: benefits for low income families which balances the divide between classes
+ NHS: healthcare free and available
+ Winter fuel payments: provides money for those on benefits, reduces suffering
+ Triple lock pension: less elderly in poverty
- Cuts to legal aid: w/c families no longer get help with family, employment, housing and debt problems
- Two child benefit: lack of support for larger w/c families
Functionalist/New Right views on government policies (4+, 3-)
+ Married person tax allowance: pushes people into nuclear family type which is the most stable family type
+ Section 28: prohibits the promotion of homosexuality which supports nuclear family type
+ Sure start centres: compensatory education ensures that everyone is prepared to play their role within society
+ Immigration policies: stricter and harsher to make it harder to apply for jobs and bring in family
- Divorce Reform Act: unhappy families have more access to divorce which means decrease in nuclear family
- Same Sex couples Act: more diversity, less tradition
- Family Planning Act: decrease in nuclear family
Feminist views on government policies (4+, 3-)
+ Equal Pay Act: women earning same as men, able to support their family
+ Working family Tax Credit: provides tax relief against childcare costs, less financial burden for women
+ 30 hours free Childcare: increases working hours for women
+ Maternity Leave: women entitled to 52 weeks which allows them time to bond with their baby
- Two Child Benefit Cap: women needing to work part time to afford to raise children
- Married person’s Tax: forces women in to marriage to receive tax breaks (supports patriarchal family types)
- Radical feminists may disagree with same sex male couples: don’t provide a nurturing role
Postmodernist views on government policies (4+, 3-)
+ Equality Act: prevents discrimination in the workplace, ensures everyone can work/earn a living
+ Divorce Reform Act: more diverse family types and choices
+ Adoption and Childcare Act: allows unmarried and same sex couples, diversity
+ Family Planning Act: makes contraception available which creates control over family size and relationships
- Harsh immigration policies: prevents diversity within society
- Section 28: creates discrimination and censoring
- Two Child Benefit cap: pressures w/c into only having two children, prevents choice
Gender regimes (one theorist)
Drew uses the concept of gender regimes to describe how different societies either encourage or discourage gender equality in the family:
- Familistic gender regimes - policies are based around male breadwinner and female homemaker. E.g. in Greece there is little state welfare or publicly funded childcare
- Individualistic gender regimes - policies based on the belief that husbands and wives should be treated the same. E.g. in Sweden policies treat husbands and wives as equally responsible for both breadwinning and domestic tasks
