Assess the view that government policies and laws have led to an increase in family diversity Flashcards
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One only needs to look through history at cross cultural examples of social policy to…
Take for example …
In Germany, during the rule of the…
In the UK, sociologists studying social policy tend to focus their…
One only needs to look through history at cross cultural examples of social policy to confirm that the impact that this can have on the family can be extreme.
Take for example the one child policy in China which has resulted in thousands of female babies being abandoned at birth.
In Germany, during the rule of the Nazi Government during the 1930’s disabled individuals and homosexuals were sterilised and the Aryan race encouraged to procreate and in the Soviet Union it was believed at one time that the family would die out altogether.
In the UK, sociologists studying social policy tend to focus their interest on whether social policy encourages the conventional family or whether in fact social policy reflects the fact that families are diversifying and supports these changes.
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The conservative party who were in power…
This ideology arguably has …
The sociologist Charles Murray argues…
As a result the government..
The conservative party who were in power between 1979 and 1997 under Margaret Thatcher and John Major have been accused of supporting the traditional family at the expense of non-conventional families due to their New Right ideology.
This ideology arguably has resulted in policies which encourage more conventional family types and are not as supportive of family diversity.
The sociologist Charles Murray argues that the underclass had been created due to overgenerous state hand-outs and single parent families leading to moral decline and juvenile delinquency.
As a result the government introduced a back to basics campaign, aimed at reviving the ‘golden age of the family’.
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One policy which illustrates this mentality is the amendments made to taxation policy …
Abbott and Wallace (1992) however claim that although based in…
However, regardless of ideology, it is evident that social polic…
One policy which illustrates this mentality is the amendments made to taxation policy so that cohabiting couples could no longer claim more in tax allowances than married couples, therefore encouraging cohabiting couples to marry and possible reduce the amount of children born outside of wedlock.
Abbott and Wallace (1992) however claim that although based in new right ideology the conservative party took a more balanced approach to family life by making divorce easier to obtain and giving illegitimate children the same rights as those born to married parents.
However, regardless of ideology, it is evident that social policy can have an impact on family life with some policies encouraging marriage over cohabitation thus reinforcing traditional family values.
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The labour party however, tended to introduce policies more in line with…
They introduced a number of …
The sociologist Jenny Sommerville (2000) claims that…
One policy which illustrates this is the legislation introduced which…
The labour party however, tended to introduce policies more in line with their support of family diversity.
They introduced a number of policies which have led to a more diverse landscape of families in the United Kingdom.
The sociologist Jenny Sommerville (2000) claims that Tony Blairs conservative government increased expectations about parental responsibility whilst also recognising diversity.
One policy which illustrates this is the legislation introduced which allowed civil partnerships for gay and lesbian couples and also later on gave them the right to adopt children and is an example of policy adopting more individualistic gender regimes than the previous conservative government.
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However labour have still been accused of conforming to…
Despite this however, it is important to recognise…
However labour have still been accused of conforming to familial ideology in that policy is largely focused on motherhood rather than fatherhood or parenting in general, for example illustrated in limited rights of father to take paid paternity leave.
Despite this however, it is important to recognise the progress made through forward thinking policies such as the civil partnership act which have directly impacted upon family life and diversified the family.
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Other commentators have argued that social policy can be used…
Power is diffused throughout society to…
Donzelot (1977) uses Foucault’s concept of surveillance to…
This concept can be seen in social policy which allows…
Other theorists would disagree with this idea on the basis that the family…
In conclusion to this point, although the concept of surveillance is extreme, it does illustrate…
Other commentators have argued that social policy can be used as a form of state control to monitor families to ensure the family is performing the intended function.
Power is diffused throughout society to health visitors, doctors, social workers to ensure quality of parenting.
Donzelot (1977) uses Foucault’s concept of surveillance to argue that professionals carrying out observation and monitoring of families are in fact exercising power and control, effectively ‘policing families’.
This concept can be seen in social policy which allows parents of truanting students to be prosecuted and made to attend parenting classes.
Other theorists would disagree with this idea on the basis that the family tend to some extent to be seen as a private sphere and therefore social policy only ever skims the surface of family life having little impact in reality.
In conclusion to this point, although the concept of surveillance is extreme, it does illustrate the extent to which social policy can directly impact upon parenting of children, which will have an impact on the nature of family life with quality parenting encouraged.
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In conclusion, the political ideology behind government that implements …
Although not as extreme as cross cultural examples, there are several instances…
Many sociologists however still hold the view that…
In conclusion, the political ideology behind government that implements social policy can directly impact on the nature and extent of family diversity.
Although not as extreme as cross cultural examples, there are several instances of social policy which have facilitated wider diversity such as the civil partnership act, the divorce law reform act and maternity allowances to name but a few.
Many sociologists however still hold the view that most social policy will only intervene in family life to a limited extent.
