Social Policies Flashcards
What are the 2 cross cultural policies?
Chinas one child policy
Nazi Germany Hitlers perfect family
What did the one child policy cause in China?
Reduce dependency ratio meaning there are more adults to support dependency children
What did Nazis ‘perfect family’ cause?
Promote the expressive role to trap women which reinforces the patriarchy
What was the one child policy?
The population in China was so high that they limited every couple to one child
What is Germanys ‘perfect family’?
They got rid of all the Jews as they didn’t fit the stereotype that Hitler wanted (blonde hair blue eyes)
What are democratic societies?
Where people free to choose their leadership who are less intrusive in the family lives of citizens
When do the government intervene in family life?
When things go wrong
How do social policies directly affect the family?
They intend to shape the family
How do social policies indirectly affect the family?
Intend to do other things but shape the family in the process
Name 7 policies that changed the family?
Gay marriage
Adoption rights for single, cohabiting and gay couples
Chinas one child policy
Abortion
Tax break for married couples
Divorce reform act
Equality act
What 2 things did the Conservative party do for families?
Banned promotion of homosexuality by banning teaching it as an acceptable family relationship
Set up child support agency
What view do the Conservative party take?
New Right
What 2 things did New Labour do for families?
Accept diversity
Support those who are materially and culturally deprived
How did the New Labour accept diversity?
Changes to the law on adoption
Gay and cohabiting couples have the same right to adopt
Longer maternity leave
What is the Coalition?
Conservative dividing between Modernists and Traditionalists
How has the dividing of the Coalition impacted families?
Struggling to maintain consistent policies
Cutting benefits
Tuition fee increase
What do Functionalists believe about social policy?
The state acts in the interests of society as a whole and helps families perform their functions more effectively
What does Functionalist Fletcher believe about social policy?
NHS services help the family take care of its members better
What is a criticism of the Functionalist perspective of social policies?
Assumes policies help all families but may disadvantage due to cuts on welfare benefits for poor families
What do Feminists believe about social policy?
They help maintain women’s subordinate position and see the nuclear family as the ideal family with separate gender roles
What 3 policies may support patriarchy and how?
Tax and benefits- women don’t get social unity as they assume that men are the main wage earners
Childcare policies- Lack of affordable childcare limits women to getting the best jobs
Care for sick and elderly- traditional housewife role
What does Feminist Leonard say about social policy?
Policies such as maternity leave and childcare allowance reinforce patriarchy even though they are meant to support women
What is a criticism of the Feminist view of social policy?
Liberal feminists take a march of progress view
What do the New Right believe about social policy?
Nuclear family is the best family type and if roles are performed correctly the family will be self-reliant and the welfare state shouldn’t need to be involved in the family
What do the New Right believe diversity has caused?
A dependency culture
What does New Right sociologist Almond say about social policy?
Divorce and Gay marriage undermine the nuclear family
What 3 policies do the New Right support?
Tighter benefit restrictions
Better taxes for married couples
Child support agencies (making absent fathers pay for their children)
What is a criticism of the New Right view of social policy?
Radical feminists- reinforce patriarchy through the expressive role
What is the Marxist view of social policy?
Policies serve capitalism
What policies serve capitalism and how?
Low state pensions show that once workers are too old to produce profits, they are maintained at the lowest possibly cost
NHS- caring face of capitalism
What is a criticism of the Marxist view of social policy?
Other Marists say that they have the wrong idea for example the NHS means healthcare is free to get workers healthy as quick as possible for them to work
What does Donzelot believe about social policy?
Policies help the state to control families and that we are constantly being watched ‘policing the family’
What does Foucault say about surveillance within the family?
Professionals such as social workers and health visitors carry out surveillance
What is a criticism of Donzelots view of social policy?
Marxists and Feminists- not fully identified who benefits from such policies of surveillance and ignores patriarchy
