Families And Social Policy Flashcards
(13 cards)
China one child policy
Government population control aiming to disencourage parents having more than one child
Communist Romania
Series of policies to increase the birth rate because of standard of living was declining
- restricted contraceptives and abortion
- opened up fertility clinics
- legal age of marriage if 15
- childless and unmarried couples have to pay extra tax
Nazi family policies
Racially pure, sterilised people that would’ve disrupted the pure race
Democratic society
Family is a private sphere of life where the government doesn’t intervene unless there’s cases of abuse
New Right
Only in favour of the nuclear family that has a clear division of labour
Believe that the government encouraged new family types through the law such as easy divorce, legalisation of homosexual marriage and increasing laws for cohabiting couples like adoption
These laws give out the message that nuclear family isn’t suitable for society
How does the current government encourage dependency culture according to New Right
Generous benefits provided by the state
- providing housing for teenage mothers, encourages teenage pregnancy
- fathers will run away from responsibilities because state is providing for them
- sons will grow up without a male role model
What are the esssential functions that are undermined according to the New Right
Socialisation
Maintenance of work ethic within young people
New Right policy - banning homosexuality in schools 1988
Law passed that stopped councils and schools promoting homosexuality
Teachers lost their qualified teaching status if they did teach homosexuality
Mass protest against this, law stopped in Scotland in 2000, 2003 for the rest of the UK
Margaret Thatcher was for the NR saying that they’re being cheated of a sound start of life
New Right policy - Labour’s new deal 1998
Getting parents, lone-parents back into work
Deal did this by providing free access to qualifications and courses for parents
Cost 1.3bil to implement
For - encouraging full-time work, less dependency on the state
Against - women dont have their expressive role because they’re going into work
New Right policy - civil partnerships 2005
Law ending inequality for same-sex couples
Registrations for gay couples leading to legal partnerships that dont need to happen publicly
Against - it goes outside the traditional nuclear family
Everyone apart form the NR are in favour for equality amongst all
New Right policy - the benefit cap 2013
Limits the amount of welfare state benefit per year and overall welfare spending
£500 per week
£2600 per year
This is an incentive for people to go find work. Affected by the cap, 41% more likely to get a job
For - encourages work ethic and changes in attitudes towards the system showing that they’re better off working instead of being so dependent on the government
Against - job market currently is very bad so finding a job is quite difficult so they’re left in deep poverty. Those on benefits lack qualifications for a good paying job
New Right evaluation
Feminists say that this is an attempt to return to traditional nuclear patriarchal family that subordinates women to men and confines them to a domestic role
Abott and Wallice say that cutting benefits would drive poor families into deeper poverty and make them very self reliant
Feminism view on the policies
Policies assume patriarchal nuclear family is the ‘norm’ e.g tax incentives for married couples
Seeing the nuclear family as the norm reinforces the message that al others are deviant and creates the message of ‘self-fulfilling prophecy’
If the government continue to take this attitude it could discourage family diversity and encourage patriarchy
