families and social policy

Question 1

What do functionalists believe about social policy?

Answer 1

• policy should be there to help families function, mainly through the welfare state

Question 2

What does Donzelot believe about family and social policy?

Answer 2

• policy is a form of state power and control over families
• interested in how professionals carry out surveillance of families. Argues that social workers, health visitors and doctors use their knowledge to control and change families
• calls this the policing of families
• target the poor as problem families that need to be fixed

Question 3

What does the New Right believe about social policy?

Answer 3

• new right see it as undermining and changing the nuclear family.
• it’s a problem for both the government and wider society
• their solution if to cut social policies within welfare to keep families together and incentivise teenagers not to get pregnant

Question 4

What do feminists believe about the family and social policy?

Answer 4

• feminists are split on whether social policy is beneficial
• liberal feminists approve of social policy
• radical feminists believe social policy is there to oppress women, for example longer maternity leave assumes the mother will be the main caregiver