Family&Households: Topic 7- Families and social policy Flashcards
Comparative view
What are the 4 comparative views of family policy?
- China’s one child policy
- Nazi family policy
- Communist Romania
- Democratic societies
Comparative view
Explain China’s one child policy.
Aimed to discourage couples having more than one child. Couples how complied get extra benefits:
* Free child healthcare
* Higher tax allowance
Couples who break policy:
* Repay allowance and pay fine
* Women pressured to get steralised
Comparative view
Explain the nazi family policy.
- Two-fold policy encourages health and ‘racially pure’ to breed a master race
- Keep women with children, in kitchen and church
- The state compulsorily steralised 375000 disabled people- they’re unfit to breed
Comparative view
Explain communist Romania- 1980s.
- Drive up birth rate which was falling due to living standards
- Restricted contraception/abortion
- Lowered legal age of marriage to 15
Comparative view
Explain democratic societies.
- In Britain family is a private shpere of life where the government wont intervene
- Sociologists argue the states social policies play a role into shaping family life.
Perspective on families and social policy
What is the functionalist perspective on families and social policy?
- They think the state is helping society
- The state policies are good for all
- Policies help families perform their functions
Perspective on families and social policy
What is a criticism of the functionalist view?
- Assumes all family members equally from social policy- maternity leave makes women poorer
- Assumers theres a MOP view: can reverse. E.g. closing fire stations
Perspective on families and social policy
What does Donzelot argue about policing the family?
- Has a conflict view- sees policy as control over families
- Social workers, health visitors, doctors use their knowledge to control families
- Poor familiees are seen as the problem and cause crimes- they’re targeted for improvement
Perspective on families and social policy
What is a criticms of Donzelots arguement?
Marx and fems say Donzelot is failing to identity clearly who benefits from policies of surveillance
* Benefits capitalists and men
Perspective on families and social policy
What is the new right argument for policies?
They belive polices leads to family diversity and undermines the nuclear family which they dont like
Perspective on families and social policy
What policies have led to the breakdown of the nuclear family?
- 2014- same sex marriage legalised
- 1969 Divorce reform act- cheaper and less complicated to get a divorce
- 1967 abortion act- legal through NHS
Perspective on families and social policy
What is the new rights argument on lone parents, welfare and dependency culture?
- Welfare is too generous giving cash and housing to single teen mothers
- Creates dysfunctional families
- If fathers see state will help they will abonded responsibilty
- Encourages dependency culture
Perspective on families and social policy
What is the new rights solution for lone parents, welfare and dependency culture?
- Cut welfare and make it tighter on who can recieve it
- Cutting welfare alows for tax to be reduced
- Deny council housing to unmarried teens
- Make absent fathers financially responsible
Perspective on families and social policy
What are some criticism of the new rights argument?
- Fem- a return to trad families opresses women
- Wrongly assumes patriachal family is natural
- Cutting welfare may make poor people poorer
Perspective on families and social policy
What policy does the conservative government implement that went along with the new right argument?
They banned the promotion of homosexuality, defining divorce as a social problem
* Wanted to stabilise society
* More nuclear families
* Stick to traditional norms