contemporary government social policies

Question 1

shared parental leave (2015)

Answer 1

diversity - promotes the nuclear family

experience of family life - creates a symmetrical/neo conventional family with joint roles

perspective - liberal feminists/ young & willmott show that roles are becoming more equal. individualistic gender regime

Question 2

same sex couples act (2013)

Answer 2

diversity - allows same sex marriage which creates more same sex couples

perspective - the new right would say this undermines the traditional nuclear family. feminists would favour women being in same sex relationships

Question 3

adoption and children act (2002)

Answer 3

diversity - allow cohabiting and same sex couples to adopt on the same basis as married couples

perspective -the new right and functionalists say that this undermines the traditional nuclear family

Question 4

child protection act (1989)

Answer 4

diversity - smaller families

experience of family life - child centeredness

perspective - functionalists argue that policies help families perform their functions better

Question 5

welfare cuts (2010 coalition)

Answer 5

diversity - welfare state creates lone parent families according to the new right. they advocate cuts to reduce this ‘problem’.

experience of family life - more families in poverty.

perspective - new right say welfare benefits provide a ‘perverse incentive’ that creates a dependency culture. they support this policy.

Question 6

divorce reform act (1969)

Answer 6

diversity - stacey - more reconstituted and lone parent families. more divorce- extended families

experience of family life - there may be conflicts in reconstituted families due to lack of clear social norms about how to behave in such families.

perspective - feminists see divorce as releasing women from patriarchal oppression. new right/functionalists would say that this undermines the nuclear family

Question 7

commonwealth immigration act (1952)

Answer 7

diversity - ethnic diversity, lone parent families (black) and extended families (asian)

ethnic minority families more likely to be working class and therefore experience poverty.

new labour (1997) had policies that encouraged diversity.

Question 8

1969 and 1984 divorce acts

Answer 8

increases divorce rates and lone parent families, and single parent reconstituted households

undermines nuclear family

benefits women in abusive relationships

Question 9

maternity and paternity acts

Answer 9

should make relationships more equal between men and women

undermines nuclear families

benefits women and men - easier to be a stay at home dad and a primary carer

Question 10

the civil partnership and gay marriage acts

Answer 10

reduces stigma against same sex relationships and encourages more same sex families

undermines nuclear families

benefits because there is a reduction of stigma

Question 11

universal child benefits

Answer 11

encourages poorer parents to have more children and larger families

supports nuclear family

benefits families with children and the children themselves

Question 12

income support for single parents

Answer 12

reduces the number of single parents

supports nuclear family

benefits single parents

Question 13

1979 - 1997 conservative governments

Answer 13

section 28 banned the promotion of homosexuality by local authority - banned it being taught in schools as an acceptable family relationship

defined divorce as a social problem and emphasised the continued responsibility of parents for their children after divorce

1993 - set up child support agency to enforce maintenance payments by absent parents

made divorce easier and gave illegitimate children the same rights as those born to married parents

married men’s tax allowance - long-term feature of the uk tax system had been a higher tax-free allowance for married men than single men. married women’s tax affairs were dealt with along with their husband’s, rather than independently, even if they worked full time. new right governments tried to maintain a tax allowance for men whose wives did not work, in order to encourage traditional family structures

Question 14

1997 - 2010 new labour governments

Answer 14

silva and smart - new labour rejected the new right view that the family should just have one male earner and recognised that women go out to work too

longer maternity leave - three months unpaid leave for both parents and the right to seek time off work for family reasons. this made it easier for both parents to work

working families tax credit - enabled parents to claim some tax relief on childcare costs

the new deal - helping lone parents return to work by cutting benefits made to lone parents

civil partnerships for same sex couples

giving unmarried couples the same rights to adopt as married couples

outlawing discrimination on the grounds of sexuality

Question 15

2010 conservative governments

Answer 15

hayton - conservatives have been divided between:
- modernisers who recognise that families are now more diverse and are willing to reflect this in their policies
- traditionalists who favour a new right view and reject diversity as morally wrong

coalition government with liberal democrats made it harder to maintain traditionalist influence

conservatives failed to introduce policies which promoted the nuclear family - browne found that two parent couples were penalised by tax and benefit policies

shared parental leave introduced in 2015

increased free childcare for working parents introduced in 2017

same sex marriage legalised in 2013