Family and State Flashcards
Views regarding the state, also specific social policies and family.
Functionalists & New Right (CIE Book)
Eicher, from USA:
Govt. provides “Economic” and “moral” support to family choices, thus has a responsibility to “discourage” problematic and “dysfunctional” family-types such as single parenthood, otherwise “dependency culture” will be created.
Louis Althusser
Ideological State Apparatus:
Children learn to submit to authority within families
Feminism
Land argues about “assumptions of a heterosexual narrative” where “women are homemakers” and “will be supported by husband” and “will leave the workforce to rear children eventually”
Policies that do not support conventionality
Liberalization of divorce laws (“no fault marriage)
Almond: New tax systems heavily benefit dual earner households
Harding: inheritance, tenants, etc. granted to cohabitants in civil partnerships.
New Right, summary.
A movement concerned with “protecting traditional morality”
- permissiveness
- social change
- govt policies
lead to:
- crimes
- dependency
Who followed Thatcher’s policies?
Abbot and Wallace
Which Thatcherite policies undermined traditional families?
Divorce was made easier Bastard children were given equal rights Froze child benefits Cuts in educational spending No benefits for stay-at-home wives
New Right general policial stance?
Hate of welfare because it “ taxation discriminated against married couples, it enabled single-motherhood”
However, typically was more concerned about the economic right as opposed to the conservative right.
Who followed John Major’s govt?
Ruth Lister
John Major’s Major Policies
Ended erosion of child benefit values
Child Support Agency to find fathers
White Paper in favor of heterosexual adopters
Back to Basics Campaign to reinstill family values
Why did Major fail?
Scandals about MPs cheating on wives.
“More likely to be remembered for a moral panic about family vlaues..”
Smart and Neale
Children started to be prioritized in divorces, “no fault divorce” and “Divorce as a clean slate” was discourage
Who looked over Tony Blair?
Silva and Smart
Tony Blair’s stance:
“stong emphasis on families as the building base of society”
– Silva & Smart criticize for being heteronormative.
Green paper had?
National Family and Parenting Institute
Longer maternity leave
Unpaid leave for 3 months guaranteed to both
Emphasis on pre-nup
New Deal: give training. take it, or be off welfare.
**acknowledged family diversity!!
