Family&Households: Topic 7- Families and social policy

Question 1

Comparative view of family policy

What are the 4 comparative views of family policy?

Answer 1

• China’s one child policy
• Nazi family policy
• Communist Romania
• Democratic societies

Question 2

Comparative view of family policy

Explain China’s one child policy.

Answer 2

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

Question 3

Comparative view of family policy

Explain the nazi family policy.

Answer 3

• 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

Question 4

Comparative view of family policy

Explain communist Romania- 1980s.

Answer 4

• Drive up birth rate which was falling due to living standards
• Restricted contraception/abortion
• Lowered legal age of marriage to 15

Question 5

Comparative view of family policy

Explain democratic societies.

Answer 5

• 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.

Question 6

Perspective on families and social policy

What is the functionalist perspective on families and social policy?

Answer 6

• They think the state is helping society
• The state policies are good for all
• Policies help families perform their functions

Question 7

Perspective on families and social policy

What is a criticism of the functionalist view?

Answer 7

• 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

Question 8

Perspective on families and social policy

What does Donzelot argue about policing the family?

Answer 8

• 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

Question 9

Perspective on families and social policy

What is a criticms of Donzelots arguement?

Answer 9

Marx and fems say Donzelot is failing to identity clearly who benefits from policies of surveillance
* Benefits capitalists and men

Question 10

Perspective on families and social policy

What is the new right argument for policies?

Answer 10

They belive polices leads to family diversity and undermines the nuclear family which they dont like

Question 11

Perspective on families and social policy

What policies have led to the breakdown of the nuclear family?

Answer 11

• 2014- same sex marriage legalised
• 1969 Divorce reform act- cheaper and less complicated to get a divorce
• 1967 abortion act- legal through NHS

Question 12

Perspective on families and social policy

What is the new rights argument on lone parents, welfare and dependency culture?

Answer 12

• 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

Question 13

Perspective on families and social policy

What is the new rights solution for lone parents, welfare and dependency culture?

Answer 13

• 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

Question 14

Perspective on families and social policy

What are some criticism of the new rights argument?

Answer 14

• Fem- a return to trad families opresses women
• Wrongly assumes patriachal family is natural
• Cutting welfare may make poor people poorer

Question 15

Perspective on families and social policy

What policy does the conservative government implement that went along with the new right argument?

Answer 15

They banned the promotion of homosexuality & defining divorce as a social problem
* Wanted to stabilise society
* More nuclear families
* Stick to traditional norms

Question 16

Perspective on families and social policy

What policy does the conservative government implement that goes against the new right argument?

Answer 16

• Set up child support agency to enforce payments
• Made sure illegitimate children had the same rights as children w/ married parents
• Introduced measures to make divorce easier

Question 17

Perspective on families and social policy

What policies did the new labour government implement?

Answer 17

They argue the nuclear family is the bedrock of society but reject one earner
* Outlawing discrimination on grouds of sexuality
* Civil partnership for same sex couples
* Gave unmarried couple the same rights to adopt as married couples

Question 18

Perspective on families and social policy

What view do femininsts have on families and policies?

Answer 18

Conflict view- sees it as patriachal and opressing women

Question 19

Perspective on families and social policy

What policies support the patriachal family according to femininsts?

Answer 19

• Tax benefit policies
• Childcare
• Care for sick and elderly

Question 20

Perspective on families and social policy

How does tax benefit policies support patriachy?

Answer 20

• Assumes males are breadwinner
• Can be impossible for women to claim social security on their own
• Reinforces women are dependent on their husbands

Question 21

Perspective on families and social policy

How does childcare support patriachy?

Answer 21

Policies governing school timetable and holidays make it hard for parents to work full time

Question 22

Perspective on families and social policy

How does care for sick and elderly support patriachy?

Answer 22

Government policies assume family will provid this care
* Middle-aged women usually do the caring which prevents them from working full time

Question 22

Perspective on families and social policy

What is the evaluation of the feminist view?

Answer 22

Not all policies help patriachy:
* Equal pay
* Sex discriminatino laws
* Lone parent benefits

Question 23

Perspective on families and social policy

What do marxists argue about social policies?

Answer 23

Policy is made by powerful and rich
* E.g. NHS keeps workers fit enough to continue wokring
* It prevents a revolution. E.g. welfare state made so that W/C doesnt rise up and capitalism

Question 24

Perspective on families and social policy

What are the 2 gender regimes Drew notes follows different types of family poicies?

Answer 24

How gender regimes can either encourage or discourage gender equality
* Family gender regimes: Where policies are based on a traditional gender division between male breadwinner and female housewife
* Individualistic gender regimes: Policies based on the belief that husbands and wives should be treated the same