social policy Flashcards
perspectives
Functionalists - social policies should ensure the stable running of society and institutions
Realists - social policies should support the nuclear family
Feminists - Social Policies should support equality of opportunity policies
Marxists - Social Policies only serve the interests of capitalism
functionalists
They see society as built on harmony and consensus, it must be free from conflict to function well. They see the state as acting in the interests of society as a whole and its social policies as being for the good of all as they allow families to perform their functions. According to Fletcher, social policies are on a March of Progress, overtime the government has introduced housing, healthcare, education and other policies which have gradually led to the development of the welfare state that supports families in performing their functions more effectively. For example, the introduction of the NHS means that the family today is better able to take care of its members when they are sick
eval of functionalists - feminists
Feminists argue that functionalists assume that all members of the family benefit equally from social policies whereas they benefit men at the expense of women. For example, austerity welfare cuts disproportionately affect women more than men
eval of functionalists - marxists
Marxists argue that it assumes that there is a march of progress with social policies steadily making life better, however, society is in conflict and social policies do not always make life better as they benefit the bourgeoise eg cutting assistance for poor families
eval of functionalists - post modernists
They argue that social policies are a way to police and control families. Donzelot uses Foucauls concept of surveillance and applies it to the family, he argues that social and health workers use their knowledge to control and change families, He calls this ‘policing of families’. In addition, surveillance is not targeted equally on all social classes, poor families are seen as the problems and must be controlled and re-programmed. For example, Condry found out that the state’s use of compulsory parental orders on parents with badly behaved children is a way the state controls and regulates family life. Donzelot rejects the functionalist view that social policies are on a march of progress or are harmonious. However, Marx and Fems criticise Donzelot for failing to identify clearly who benefits from such policies of surveillance. Marx - bourg, fems - men
right realists
The new right are strongly in favour of the conventional nuclear family based on a married heterosexual couple with sexual division of labour. They argue that social policies leading to family diversity are threatening the traditional nuclear family and leading to welfare dependency. According to Almond (2006) laws making divorce easier undermines expressive and instrumental roles. Tax laws discriminate against conventional families as they tend to pay more tax than dual-earner couples. Similarly, they argue that increased rights for cohabiting unmarried couples like adoption rights indicate that the state no longer cares about marriage.
murray
Murray argues that welfare benefits provide incentives for anti-social behaviour and undermines the traditional nuclear family. For example, single fathers assume the state will take care of their children which causes them to abandon their families. Providing public housing to young women encourages teen pregnancy. Social policy encourages dependency culture and for Murray it should encourage the socialisation of the young through the nuclear family and maintain work ethic amongst men
left realists
Like RR they argue that the nuclear family is the best for society, they emphasised the need for parents to take responsibility for their children for example by introducing parental orders for parents which is the law against truancy. According to Silva and Smart, LR favoured a neo-conventional family with dual earners and social policy should encourage that type of family
LR policies
Longer maternity leave to help both parents work
Working families tax credits enabling parents get assistance for childcare costs
eval of RR
Feminists argue that it is an atttempt to justify a return to the traditional patriarchal nuclear family that subordinated women to men and confined them to their domestic role
Abbot and Wallace argue that cutting benefits would simply drive many poor families into even greater poverty and make them less self reliant
feminism
They argue that social policy helps to maintain women’s subordinate position in the family. Land argues that many social policies assume that the ideal family is the patriarchal nuclear family. This assumption informs policy which in turn leads to a SFP as people are pushed by policies to enter nuclear family arrangements. For example, if the state assumes that normal families are based on marriage and offers tax incentives to married couples that are not available to cohabiting couples, this policy may encourage marriage. Policy encourages people to live in certain family types that the policy makers assume is the norm.
ways policy makes women economically dependent
Tax benefits policies assume that husbands are wage earners and wives are financially dependent this can make it impossible for wives to claim benefits in her own right since it is expected that husbands will provide
Childcare is expensive which makes it difficult for women to work fulltime
Care for the elderly - government policies often assume that the family will provide this care, this means that women are expected to do the caring which prevents them from working fulltime and increases their economic dependency on their husbands
Leonard argues that even when policies appear to support women they still reinforce the patriarchal family
eval of feminist views
Not all policies are directed at maintaining the patriarchy and some improve the position of women in the family and wider society - equal pay act, sex discrimination laws, a refuge for female DV victims
