Topic 7 - Families and Social Policy

Question 1

what examples are there of government policies affecting families ?

Answer 1

• China’s One-Child Policy, aimed to limit families to one child to control population, and was enforced through the workplace as women needed permission to go on leave, and there were rewards for compliance such as free child health care and there were penalties such as fines
• In Romania, government policies aimed increase the birth rate during an economic decline, policies included restricting access to abortion and contraception and lowering the legal marriage age to 15

Question 2

what do functionalists argue about policies ?

Answer 2

• State policies help families perform their functions better.
• For example Fletcher argues that the introduction of health, education and housing policies since the industrial revolution has led to the development of a welfare state that supports the families in performing their functions more effectively
• For example the NHS, is able to make sure that the family today is better and they take care of members when they are ill so they can get back to their roles

Question 3

what are critics of the functionalist perspective on policies ?

Answer 3

• Assumes all family members benefit equally (feminists say policies often favour men).
• Assumes a ‘march of progress’, ignoring cases where policies reverse progress (Marxist critique)

Question 4

What does Donzelot argue ?

Answer 4

• Has a conflict view and argues that State uses policies to control families, not to help them.
• His ideas are based on Foucault’s concept of surveillance (power is spread through all relationships, not just held by government)
• Professionals (e.g. doctors, social workers) use knowledge to monitor, control & discipline families
• Poor families are targeted more—seen as ‘problem families’.
• For example the state may try to control family life through imposing compulsory parenting orders through courts, where parents of bad children are forced to attend parenting classes to learn the correct way of bringing up a child

Question 5

what is a critic of donzelot ?

Answer 5

• Doesn’t clearly state who benefits (Marxists: capitalists, Feminists: men).

Question 6

what is the new right view ?

Answer 6

• Favour traditional nuclear family (married, heterosexual, male breadwinner, female homemaker)
• Believe this family type is natural and essential for a stable society
• Argue policies have undermined the traditional family
• For example Divorce laws make marriage less of a lifelong commitment.
• Believe this leads to social problems like: Crime, Welfare dependency and Poor child socialisation

Question 7

what is Charles Murray’s argument ?

Answer 7

• Strongly critical of the welfare state and its effects on families.
• Argues that ‘generous’ welfare benefits:
• Undermine the nuclear family.
• Encourage dysfunctional family types (e.g., lone parents, teenage mothers).
• Promote a dependency culture (people rely on state rather than themselves).
• argues that Welfare state creates a perverse incentive which is rewards for bad behavior and this will lead to harmful consequences such as Fathers may abandon families because the state will support their children, and Teenage girls may be encouraged to get pregnant if they get council housing.
• Lone-parent households (often without fathers) lead to: Boys lacking a male role model. Rising crime rates among young males.

Question 8

What is the New right solution ?

Answer 8

• Cut welfare spending and make benefits harder to claim.
• Reduce taxes – incentivises men to work and support their families
• Deny council housing to teenage mothers to discourage early pregnancy.

Question 9

Evaluation of New right

Answer 9

• Feminist Critique:
  Wants a return to the patriarchal nuclear family that oppressed women. Assumes the nuclear family is ‘natural’ rather than a social construct.
• Abbott & Wallace (1992):
  Cutting benefits would push poor families into deeper poverty. Would reduce, not increase, self-reliance.

Question 10

How did the New right influence the conservative government policies ?

Answer 10

• Conservative Government aligned with New Right:
• Banned local authorities from promoting homosexuality.
• Defined divorce as a social problem.
• Set up Child Support Agency to enforce maintenance from absent fathers.

Question 11

How did the New right influence new labor government polices ?

Answer 11

• Emphasised married heterosexual couples as best for child-rearing.
• Encouraged parental responsibility via Parenting Orders
• However they Accepted dual-earner families and women in work
• Supported state intervention to help families
• Focused on reducing child poverty through: Welfare reforms, minimum wage
• Support for Family Diversity: Civil partnerships and adoption rights for same-sex and unmarried couples.

Question 12

how did the new right influence the coalition government policies ?

Answer 12

• The coaltion government contradicted with the New right beliefs as they
• Legalised gay marriage
• did not promote the nuclear family.

Question 13

what is the feminist view on social policy ?

Answer 13

• Society is patriarchal—social institutions, including the state, benefit men at women’s expense.
• Many policies assume the nuclear family
• These assumptions shape policy, which then reinforces this family type.
• E.g., Tax breaks for married couples encourage marriage and discourage cohabitation.
• This limits support for alternative family forms (e.g., lone-parent, same-sex families).

Question 14

what are examples of patriarchal policies ?

Answer 14

• Tax and Benefits Policies, Often assume husbands are main earners and wives are dependents. Meaning wives may be unable to claim benefits independently, reinforcing dependence on men.
• Childcare, Government-funded childcare is limited. School hours and holidays are inflexible, making full-time work difficult for mothers. This places women in the role of primary caregiver, reducing job opportunities and income.
• Generous maternity leave, but limited paternity leave, reinforces the idea that women should be primary caregivers.
  Low maternity pay increases financial dependence on partners.
• Child Benefit, Usually paid to the mother. Though it gives women income, it assumes child-rearing is primarily her role.

Question 15

Eval of Feminist

Answer 15

• Not all policies are patriarchal. Some challenge patriarchy and support gender equality: Equal pay laws Sex discrimination laws and Equal divorce rights

Question 16

what does Drew argue ?

Answer 16

• Feminist who argues that social policies shape gender roles and relationships within families by encouraging or discouraging gender equality.
• she categorises countries into two types based on how their policies affect women:
• Familistic gender regimes, where Policies assume a traditional division of labour – male breadwinner, female homemaker/carer. An example of this is in Greece where there is minimal state welfare and little public childcare
• Individualistic gender regimes where Policies promote gender equality by treating husbands and wives as independent individuals with equal rights and responsibilities. An example of this is in Sweden where there is state funded childcare and equal parental leave