do SPs create family diversity? Flashcards
yes - new right - murray and almond
SPs such as benefits, divorce and taxation are negative as they encourage and enable social changes, threatening traditional NF
murray - SPs are form of gov interference, undermining NF.
e.g - welfare benefits encourage dysfunctional family types and irresponsible behaviour by providing perverse incentives - reward anti-social behaviour - encourage young women to become pregnant as they’ll get
a council house and child benefits and have negative impact on children - fail in edu and become delinquent - creates dependency culture.
almond - divorce undermines importance of marriage as a social institution and life long commitment, tax allowance is only available to dual income which undermines TNF with male breadwinner and encourages women to work
new right criticism
feminists - new right trying to re-establish old patriarchal order - assume patriarchal NF is ‘natural’ rather than socially constructed.
yes - new labour
CPA 2005 - same sex families and expanded adoption - creates FD and gives everyone the rights to have a family - equality for LGBTQ couples
New deal - helps single parents get back into work - supports existence of LPFs
tax allowance - available to dual income - encourages women to work - DINKs
new labour criticism
leonard - when SPs appear to support women, they still reinforce traditional patriarchal family
e.g - maternity leave enables women to receive medical care and recover from childbirth, but at same time they’re based on assumption that childcare is mother’s responsibility
no - functionalist
SPs maintain social solidarity by helping NFs families perform functions as gov acts for the benefit of all members of society
Fletcher - intro of welfare state with housing, health and education policies takes pressure off family so it can concentrate on its 4 main irreducible functions efficiently (stabilising adult personality, reproductive, economic, educational, sexual)
e.g - creation of NHS in 1948 by Labour gov, enables family to focus on emotional care of members as nurses and doctors take care of medical needs.
functionalist criticism
assume that SPs benefit
everyone in family equally, but Feminists say SPs benefit men more than women.
no - feminist
land - SPs maintain patriarchy and traditional NF - gov assumes NF is ideal so all SPs ae designed to maintain TNF
e.g - benefits, lack of childcare and lack of care for elderly - make women financially dependent on husbands
feminist criticism
not all laws are patriarchal - Equal Pay Act & Sex Discrimination Act protect women’s rights in workplace.
no - donzelot
SPs are form of state power and control over families - reinforce NF by policing and carrying out surveillance of e.g LPFs who are seen as problem families
SPs give teachers, healthcare workers,police etc the rights to interfere in family life
donzelot criticism
marxists - fails to explain who benefits from the work of these
professionals whilst marxists would argue it is the r/c who benefits
