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social policy Flashcards

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1
Q

What is the impact of government actions on families?

A

can have huge effects on families and their members
demonstrated by cross-cultural examples from different societies and historical periods

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2
Q

What was China’s one-child policy?

A

aimed to discourage couples from having more than one child
supervised by workplace family planning committees
must seek permission before getting pregnant often facing a waiting list

if couples comply with the policy they receive benefits like free healthcare, higher tax allowances, and priority for their child in education and housing

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3
Q

What policies did Communist Romania implement in the 1980s?

A

introduced several policies to increase the birth rate
e.g
restricting contraception and abortion
setting up infertility treatment centres
making divorce more difficult
lowering the legal age of marriage to 15
taxing unmarried and childless couples more

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4
Q

What was the family policy in Nazi Germany during the 1930s?

A

Nazi Germany encouraged a twofold policy
promoting ‘racially pure’ breeding for a ‘master race’ while sterilizing disabled individuals, many of whom were sent to concentration camps

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5
Q

How do democratic societies view family life in relation to government intervention?

A

In democratic societies, family is often seen as a private where government does not intervene, except in cases of issues like child abuse

some sociologists argue that state policies still significantly shape family life

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6
Q

What is the functionalist perspective on families and social policy?

A

see society built on harmony and consensus, with the state acting on behalf of its members’ best interests

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7
Q

What does Fletcher (1966) argue about health, education, and housing policies?

A

argues that these policies have led to the development of a welfare state that supports families

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8
Q

How does the NHS support families according to Fletcher?

A

The NHS provides doctors, nurses, and hospitals that help families take care of their members.

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9
Q

What are some criticisms of the functionalist view on family policies?

A

argue that it assumes all family members benefit equally

policies often benefit men at the expense of women.

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10
Q

What is Donzelot’s perspective on family policies?

A

Donzelot sees policies as creating conflict in society and helping the state exert power and control over families.

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11
Q

What does Donzelot argue about the surveillance of families?

A

He argues that social workers and health professionals use their knowledge to control and change families.

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12
Q

How does the state view poor families according to Donzelot?

A

Poor families are more likely to be seen as ‘problem’ families and the cause of crime and anti-social behavior.

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13
Q

What measures does the state take to control ‘problem’ families?

A

The state may impose compulsory parenting orders through courts to regulate these families.

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14
Q

How does Donzelot view the role of caring professionals?

A

He sees them as agents of social control rather than as promoting progress.

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15
Q

What family structure does the New Right believe is best for society?

A

believes the ‘traditional nuclear’ family, with a female homemaker and male breadwinner, is best for society.

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16
Q

What social problems do changes to family structures threaten according to the New Right?

A

divorce
cohabitation
same-sex marriage
lone parenthood

threaten the nuclear family and produce social problems such as crime and welfare dependency.

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17
Q

What is one policy the New Right dislikes regarding divorce?

A

Laws making divorce easier undermine the idea that marriage is a lifelong commitment.

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18
Q

How do civil partnerships and same-sex marriage affect the perception of heterosexual marriage?

A

sends the message that the state no longer sees heterosexual marriage as superior.

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19
Q

How do tax laws affect conventional families according to the New Right?

A

discriminate against conventional families with a sole (usually male) breadwinner, leading them to pay more tax than dual earners.

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20
Q

What rights for cohabiting couples does the New Right criticize?

A

rights for cohabiting couples
(such as adoption and pension rights)

make cohabitation and marriage similar, suggesting that the state does not see marriage as special.

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21
Q

What is Murray’s criticism of welfare policy?

A

criticizes welfare policy for providing generous benefits that undermine the nuclear family and encourage deviant family types.

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22
Q

What are ‘perverse incentives’ according to Murray?

A

benefits that reward irresponsible or anti-social behavior, such as fathers abandoning their responsibilities because the state supports their children.

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23
Q

What impact does council housing for unmarried mothers have according to the New Right?

A

Providing council housing for unmarried mothers encourages young girls to become mothers without a stable family structure.

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24
Q

What consequence does the growth of lone-parent families have on boys?

A

means more boys grow up without a male role model and authority figure, leading to a lack of discipline and increased crime.

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25
What culture do current policies encourage according to the New Right?
Current policies encourage a dependency culture, where individuals rely on the state for support.
26
What is the New Right's proposed solution to welfare spending?
The New Right proposes policy changes with cuts in welfare spending.
27
What is the New Right's proposed solution to welfare policies?
They advocate for cuts in welfare spending and tighter restrictions on eligibility for benefits.
28
What is one potential benefit of cutting welfare according to the New Right?
It could allow for tax reductions, providing fathers more incentive to work.
29
What policy does the New Right suggest regarding council housing for unmarried teenage mothers?
Denying them council housing to remove the incentive to become pregnant at a young age.
30
What type of family structure does the New Right support?
They advocate for policies that support the traditional nuclear family e.g taxes favoured by married instead of cohabiting couples and making absent fathers responsible for their children
31
What is the New Right's belief about state welfare policies?
believe that less state interference leads to better family life.
32
What do feminists criticize about the New Right's view?
see it as an attempt to reinforce a patriarchal nuclear family that confines women to domestic roles.
33
What do Marxists argue about cutting benefits?
claim it would push poor families further into poverty.
34
other reasons why new right are criticised:
wrongly assumes nuclear family is natural rather than socially constructed ignores policies that actually support nuclear family and don’t undermine it
35
How has the New Right influenced political policies?
It has heavily influenced Conservative Party policies toward the family.
36
What similarities exist between New Right ideas and New Labour policies?
There are some overlaps in their views on family policies
37
What was a key policy of Margaret Thatcher's conservative government regarding homosexuality?
Margaret Thatcher's government banned the promotion of homosexuality by local authorities, including a ban on teaching it was acceptable.
38
How did Thatcher's government define divorce?
defined divorce as a social problem and emphasized the importance of continued support for children by both parents.
39
What agency did Thatcher's government set up? (regarding children)
Thatcher's government set up the Child Support Agency.
40
What contradictory policy did Thatcher's government introduce regarding divorce?
introduced policies that made divorce easier and gave children born outside of marriage the same rights as those born to married parents.
41
What was a similarity between New Labour and New Right regarding family?
both agreed the family is the bedrock of society believed the best family type was headed by a married heterosexual couple.
42
What responsibility did New Labour believe parents should have?
believed parents should be responsible for their children introduced Parenting Orders for parents of young truants and offenders.
43
What did New Labour reject from New Right ideas?
New Labour rejected the idea that only one parent should work; they believed both men and women should go to work.
44
What family type did Labour policies favor?
favored dual-earner, neo-conventional family types.
45
What benefits did New Labour introduce for parents?
longer maternity leave for both parents right to seek unpaid leave for family reasons.
46
What is the Working Family Tax Credits?
allow parents to claim some tax relief on childcare costs.
47
What was the New Deal policy aimed at?
aimed at helping lone parents to return to work.
48
How did New Labour's view on state intervention differ from the New Right?
New Labour believed that state intervention can help families, unlike the New Right.
49
What policies did New Labour implement to lift children out of poverty?
Welfare taxation minimum wage policies aimed at lifting children out of poverty by redistributing wealth through higher benefits.
50
What alternatives to the conventional nuclear family did New Labour support?
New Labour supported civil partnerships for same-sex couples and gave unmarried couples the same right to adopt as married couples.
51
What discrimination did New Labour outlaw?
outlawed discrimination on the grounds of sexuality.
52
What are the two divisions within the Conservative Party regarding family views?
Modernists-see families as more diverse Traditionalists-favour the New Right and reject diversity as morally wrong.
53
What policy did the Conservative coalition-led government introduce that was opposed by Traditionalists?
Same sex marriage.
54
How did the influence of Traditionalists change during the coalition government?
influence was weakened because they had to share the government with the Liberal Democrats.
55
What do the austerity policies reflect in terms of the New Right's views?
The desire to cut public spending.
56
What do Marxists believe about society?
Society is based on conflict between classes: the proletariat (working class) and the bourgeoisie (ruling class).
57
What is the Marxist view on social policies and family life?
They reject the MOP view that social policies help improve family life argue that any improvements can be easily taken away.
58
What do Marxists believe about social policy's impact on the working class?
Social policy aims to protect those in privileged positions and further subordinate the working class.
59
What do Marxists say about the treatment of old people in terms of policy?
The low level of state pension shows that once someone is too old to produce profits, they are maintained at the lowest cost to society.
60
What is the feminist view on society?
take a conflict view see society as patriarchal and benefiting men at women's expense.
61
How do feminists view social institutions?
argue that all social institutions, including the state and its policies, help maintain women's subordinate position and an unequal gender division of labour.
62
What do feminists like Land (1978) argue about social policies?
argue many social policies assume the ideal family type is a cereal packet family (traditional nuclear family).
63
How do family norms affect social policies? +example
affects the kind of policies produced, reinforcing this particular type of family at the expense of others this creates a self-fulfilling prophecy. e.g Tax breaks for married couples discourage cohabitation.
64
What policies do feminists say help maintain the patriarchal nuclear family?
tax and benefits policies childcare care for the sick and elderly
65
How do tax and benefits policies reinforce dependence?
They assume husbands are the main wage-earners and wives are their financial dependents makes it impossible for wives to claim social security in their own right.
66
What is the issue with childcare policies?
Government funding for childcare is insufficient to allow parents to work full time unless they can afford the costs, restricting women's ability to work.
67
How do policies regarding care for the sick and elderly affect women?
Policies often assume the family will provide this care, typically placing the burden on middle-aged women, which prevents full-time work and increases dependence on partners.
68
Do policies that appear to support women always do so?
Feminists argue that where policies appear to support women, they may still reinforce the patriarchal family.
69
What assumption is made regarding maternity and paternity entitlements?
There is still an assumption that mothers take responsibility for the child, despite more equal entitlements.
70
Who typically receives child benefit?
Child benefit is normally paid to the mother, assuming that the welfare of the child is her primary concern.
71
What do examples of social policies show?
They show how important social policies are in constructing family roles and relationships.
72
What are some examples of policies not directed at maintaining patriarchy?
Equal Pay Act 1970 Sex Discrimination Act 1975 benefits to lone parents rights of lesbians to marry refuges for escaping domestic violence equal rights to divorce criminalisation of rape within marriage in 1991.
73
What is the main feminist criticism of social policy?
Feminists argue that social policy reinforces patriarchy.
74
What approach is needed to assess the impact of social policy on patriarchy?
A comparative approach is needed to see how social policy affects different societies.
75
What are the two types of gender regimes described by Drew?
Familistic gender regimes: policies based around male breadwinner and female homemaker. Individualistic gender regimes: policies based on the belief that husbands and wives should be treated the same.
76
What is an example of a familistic gender regime?
In Greece, there is little state welfare or publicly funded childcare, with a traditional division of labor.
77
What is an example of an individualistic gender regime?
In Sweden, policies treat husbands and wives as equally responsible for both breadwinning and domestic tasks.
78
What policies contribute to women's independence in individualistic gender regimes?
Equal opportunities policies state provision of childcare parental leave good quality welfare services
79
how do some policies show individualistic gender regimes are not bringing greater equality?
policies like free childcare don’t come cheap to the state so there are big conflicts on who should benefit and who should pay for them this means there isn’t necessarily a march of progress to equality
80
What trend has been observed since the global recession of 2008?
Government cutbacks have pressured women to take more responsibility for caring for family members as welfare reduces.
81
What shift has occurred regarding meeting needs in society?
trend to use the market rather than the state to meet needs, such as through private pensions and private care homes for the elderly.

sociology families and households (7 decks)

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