Policies On Family Flashcards
1
Q
What is social policy?
A
The packages of plans and actions used by national, local government, and agencies to solve social problems and achieve other important goals
2
Q
What are 3 examples of how family policy differs across cultures?
A
- China: One Child Policy used as a method of population control
- Nazi Germany: Sterilisation laws where millions were involuntarily sterilised in the name of racial hygiene in order to eliminate ‘undesirables’ from reproducing
- Communist Romania: 1980s gov introduced a series of policies to drive up birth rate which had decreased due to poor living standards
3
Q
What are the 2 types of family policies?
A
- Those aimed at providing material support for families e.g. tax credits, child benefits
- Those aimed to help parents balance the demands of paid employment, family life, and supporting children e.g. maternity and paternity leave, SureStart, Child Protection Policies
4
Q
What were some policies of Thatcher’s Conservative Gov?
AO2
A
- Banned promotion of homosexuality and teaching that its okay as the nuclear family is ideal
- Reduced welfare benefits and set up Child Support Agency to ensure absent fathers took responsibility and lessen the dependency culture
- 1984 Matrimonial & Family Proceedings Act: allowed couples to petition for divorce after only 1 year of marriage rather than 3
- Care in the Community: increased self help
5
Q
What were the policies of Major’s Conservative government?
AO2
A
- Child Support Act/Agency 1991/3: ensured absent fathers took financial responsibility for their children. This was accompanied by a cut in benefits for single mothers
- 1991 Marital Rape Act: even within a marriage non-consensual activity is classed as rape
- 1993 Back to Basics Campaign: associated with rhetorical attacks on lone parent families by conservative ministers e.g. murder of Jamie Bulger was linked to the killers coming from lone parent families
6
Q
How can we evaluate conservative policies?
AO3
A
- Allen: policies discourage cohabitation and lone-parent families when they may be better alternatives to nuclear
- Harding: the fact that mothers are given child benefits and awared custody over 90% of the time reinforces their role as being nurturing and homemakers
7
Q
What were some of the policies of the New Labour government?
AO2
A
- Working Family Tax Credit 2003: money given to low income households tax free
- Civil Partnerships 2004: civil partnerships = legally recognised union formed by signing of civil partnership schedule in the presence of 2 witnesses and a registrar. Gave same-sex couples the same legal rights as married heterosexual couples
- Adoption and Children Act 2002: gave homosexual couples the same rights to adopt as heterosexual couples
- 2008 Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission: absent parents have to contribute towards children
- Paid maternity/adoption leave rose from 39-52 weeks
- 2009 Embryology Act: lesbian couples given full rights over children when using their own or other people’s embryos for IVF
8
Q
What were some New Labour policies specifically aimed towards the benefit of children?
AO2
A
- Every Child Matters 2004: implemented after the death of Victoria Climbe to ensure every child has the same rights to healthiness, safety, and achievement
- Sure Start 2000: focused on closing the achievement gap for children from disadvantaged backgrounds e.g. 5.5 days free childcare for 3-4 year olds
- Child Tax Credit 2003: provided tax free supplies for children in low income households paid directly to the mother
- 2008 Children’s Trust Board: in response to Baby P - increased gov role in child protection
9
Q
What were the policies of the 2010 Coalition government?
AO2
A
- Troubled Families Programme: formed after 2011 London Riots as Cameron blamed it on fatherless lone parent families. Introduced a small tax break for married couples and restricted the eligibility for Child Benefits
- Capped child benefits to only first 2 children - forced families to split same budget between multiple children
- Parenting Orders: forced parents to attend a parenting programme for a fixed time if their child engaged in antisocial behaviour - held parents accountable
- Marriage Tax Allowance: allowed married couples to share tax allowances reducing the overall amount they have to pay
- Capped charges for residential care forcing families to take on this responsibility rather than the state
- Same-Sex Marriage 2013: made homosexual marriage legal and gave them the same rights as heterosexual couples
- Shared Parental Leave 2015: aimed to enhance gender equality
10
Q
What are the criticisms of coalition policies?
AO3
A
- Shared Parental Leave had a very small uptake among eligible couples of only 2-8% - not very effective
- Hayton: Tory Party was split between modernisers and traditionalists - ‘split in ideology’ e.g. progressive policies like gay marriage vs troubled families programme targeted at lone parents
- Parenting orders assumes parents are to blame for childhood delinquency - this victim blaming ignores wider social inequalities at play
11
Q
What are some of the Conservative Policies post coalition?
AO2/3 (Can be used as analysis as contemporary policies)
A
- Continuation of Troubled Families Act
- Domestic Abuse Act 2021: post COVID victims of domestic abuse didn’t have to see their abuser in court. Also aided the financial definition of abuse e.g. withholding money
- Divorce, Dissolution, and Separation Act 2022: as a result of lockdown, reduced evidence needed for divorce, removed 5yr wait for divorce if other partner refuses, processing time went down to 6 months
- Universal Credit: incorporated all welfare payments into one universal credit, made it much harder to qualify for these benefits - made renting lone parent WC families, reduction of £20 per week to benefits as well
12
Q
What is the functionalist view of family policies?
AO1
A
Fletcher: NHS, free education, welfare state, etc support all families and allows them to run smoothly and allows institutions to perform functions thus preventing anomie
13
Q
How can we analyse the functionalist view?
AO3
A
These policies are especially relevant and helpful now during the cost of living crisis
14
Q
How can we evaluate the Functionalist view?
AO3
A
- Assumes everyone equally benefits from policies
- Marxists: policies inforce capitalism
- Marriage policies make it harder to leave abusive relationships
- Policies favour women in a nurturing role e.g. child benefits, maternity leave being longer than paternity - reinforces patriarchal gender norms
15
Q
What is Donzelot’s view of family policy?
AO1
A
- Sees policy as a form of state power and control over families
- Professionals carry out surveillance of families e.g. social workers, doctors and use their knowledge to control and change them - ‘policing of families’
- Surveillance is not targetted equally - poor families are more likely to be seen as a problem and a cause of anti-social behaviour e.g. supporting families programmes targeted lone parent WC families
