Families: 1. Government Policies Flashcards
Abortion Act (?)
(1967)
Legalised abortion in the UK and made it accessible through the NHS
Sexual Offences Act (?)
(1967)
Partially decriminalised male homosexuality in England and Wales. Age of consent was set at 21.
The Divorce Reform Act (?)
(1969)
Reduced the previously high cost of divorce and made the legal process a lot easier through the ‘irretrievable breakdown’ clause.
Equal Pay Act (?)
(1970)
Made it illegal for employers to pay women less than men employed in the same jobs. ‘Encouraged’ women to enter the workforce.
The Sex Discrimination Act (?)
(1975)
Act which outlawed discrimination against women by employers in the workplace
What year did the contraceptive pill become available through the NHS?
1961
The Children Act (?)
(1989)
Outlined the rights of children and safeguarded them from harm. Major emphasis was put on the role of the family and less on social services.
The Children Support Agency (?)
(1993)
Ensured that absent fathers paid maintenance. Meant that where possible, money to support lone families came from absent parents, not the state.
Section 28 (?)
(1988)
Prevented local government from ‘promoting’ homosexuality and schools were not allowed to teach of homosexual relationships being a potential family type. Directly attacked a family type that went against the nuclear family.
Proposed changes to divorce rules in the 1980s
There was a wish to make divorce more difficult as divorce rates has risen. The plan was to enforce a ‘cooling off’ period of a year between separation and divorce but this was difficult to implement and was never put into action.
Key Policies introduced under the Thatcher & Major government (1979-1997) ?
- Children Act 1989
- Child Support Agency (1993)
- Section 28 (1988)
- Proposed changes to divorce rules
[All heavily New Right influenced]
Child Tax Credit Policy
Depending on the amount of children you had, the tax you paid was reduced slightly. Paid to the main carer of the child, usually mother.
Paid Paternity Leave (?)
(2003)
Men were able to get two weeks off paid paternity leave.
Adoption and Children’s Act (?)
(2002)
Allowed same-sex couples to adopt children, as well as unmarried heterosexual couples and single parent households.
Civil Partnership Act (?)
(2005)
Allowed same sex couples to be recognised on the same terms as marriage.
Key Policies influenced under the New Labour government (1997-2010) ?
- Child Tax Credit Policy
- Paid Paternity Leave (2003)
- Adoption and Children’s Act (2002)
- Civil Partnership Act (2005)
- Repeal of Section 28 (2003)
Troubled Families Programme (?)
(2012)
After the London riots, many Tories were worried about broken families. Identified 120,000 households involved in crime, unemployment and anti-social behaviour and aimed to get them back in work and educate them.
Removal of Couples Penalty
Done so that the benefits system did not include a perverse incentive for couples to break up in order to collect more benefits.
Dementia Tax
Would’ve forced elderly people who have assets worth over £100,000 to pay for any social care they receive. Previously you could claim free social care unless you had more than £23,000 in your bank.
Child Tax Credit Reduction
Child tax credits only made available for two children. Done to discourage people on a low income from having many children and was clearly a money saving measure.
Free School Meals
The government initially didn’t want to fund extra money needed for FSM over the holidays. Over COVID 19, many saw it as a no brainer to feed children whose parents didn’t earn a certain amount of money. The government eventually supplied the funding.
Socially conservative policies of the modern Conservative party?
- Removal of Couples Penalty
- TFP (2012)
- Dementia Tax
- Child Tax Credit Reduction
- FSM
Equal Marriage Act (?)
(2013/14)
Coalition government brought in same-sex marriage. Clear support from both parties in the coalition although some opposition from traditionalists among the Tories.
Shared Parental Leave
Both parents to be considered for parental leave, rather than just the mother being allowed an extended period of time and the man only allowed two weeks.
Married Couples Tax Allowance
Tax allowance reintroduced for couples where only one party pays tax. This applied to all civil partnerships and marriages, not just heterosexual ones.
Socially Liberal policies of the modern Conservative party?
- Equal Marriage Act (2013/14)
- Shared Parental Leave
- Married Couples Tax Allowance
- FSM
