Social policy Flashcards
What are social policies?…
Social policy refers to government legislation (laws on abortion; marriage; divorce etc) and activities (policies which shape education; health; taxation etc) which seek to improve the well-being of its people and society in general.
Social policy and ideology…
In modern Britain, government is the mechanism by which policy is put into effect. our democratic system of government involves relatively distinctive political parties representing a range of opinions.
Just as we can talk about political parties having different general ideologies (such as “Conservative”, “Socialist” and “Liberal”), it is evident that any policy directed towards some social end must, by definition, be based upon some underlying ideological principles.
How does social policy affect the family?…
Most social policies affect families in some way or other. Some are aimed directly at families, such as laws governing marriage and divorce, abortion or contraception, child protection, adoption and so on.
Policies are not necessarily aimed specifically at families, but will have an effect in families. Such policies would include those on childcare, education, housing and crime. Furthermore, many policies that impact upon families are those that make changes to the legislation on taxation and benefits, such as child tax credits.
Is the family public or private?…
In Britain, the family has traditionally been seen by political parties and governments as a relatively private institution that has a number of significant public functions:
> “Public” in that, because of the family’s central role in the (primary) socialisation process, it is an important institution in society that needs to be supported
> “Private” in that people should be left to work-out their own solutions to personal problems within the family group
Directive or non-directive?…
Directive – The government needing intervention and support, providing welfare states and guidance on attendance at schools.
Non-directive – The government not interfering in the family – Allowing different parenting styles, and as many children as they wish.
The role of governments tends to be characterised as the management of family life - creating the right conditions for it to flourish, pruning away undesirable or potentially disruptive elements, but generally leaving people to their own devices.
Promotion of marriage…
Ideally, the family group involves two parents (one male, one female) and their legal children.
Marriage is generally encouraged (through taxation, for example) but, whatever the rhetoric of various government spokespeople over the years, governments have not been particularly concerned with policies that overtly encourage marriage, as such.
Rather, the policy emphasis seems to have been on the discouragement of other possible forms of family life. Specific gender roles tend to be encouraged. Governments have tended to adopt the view that “a woman’s place is in the home” (except in times of war however), and have tried to discourage married women from working (or at least from working full-time) through employment law, State benefits, taxation policy and the like.
Policies protecting marriage…
*You must be at least 18 years old (or 16 years old with your parent’s permission).
*Your prospective partner must be at least 16 years old.
*You cannot marry your brother, sister, mother or father (incest).
*You cannot marry someone who is married to someone else (bigamy).
*You cannot marry someone if you are already legally married (bigamy).
*You cannot marry someone who is not a British citizen if you want to live in Britain and your partner does not have right of residence.
Care in the community…
The Conservative government’s policy initiative was developed to de-institutionalise care of groups like the elderly, the long-term sick, the disabled and, most notably, the mentally ill.
What are the social and economic benefits of this?
> To reintegrate these groups into the wider community. This was to remove some of the social stigma associated with institutionalisation.
> It would cut State expenditure in these areas of care
Why is this so important in regards to the family?…
This idea would’ve been highly successful if we had the government’s concept of “community” (a kind of “self-supporting”, socially integrated, set of relationships) that doesn’t seem to actually exist in reality. “Community structures” in modern Britain do not accord with this ideological belief.
So this care in the community effectively ended up being care in the family, which is also very dysfunctional as with modern day develops the nuclear family is now dual earner making care extremely difficult.
Another important factor here is housing - when a family group plans it’s housing needs it has tended to do so on the basis that elderly parents, for example, are not going to live with their children. If this situation suddenly changes, then various problems are likely to occur (Livesey)
The 1969 Divorce Act (and 1984 Divorce Act)…
Previous to 1969, one partner had to prove that the other was ‘at fault’ in order to be granted a divorce, however, following the Divorce Reform Act of 1969, a marriage could be ended if it had irretrievably broken down, and neither partner no longer had to prove “fault”.
However, if only one partner wanted a divorce, they still had to wait 5 years from the date of marriage to get one. In 1984 this was changed so that a divorce could be granted within one year of marriage.
Maternity and Paternity Policy – The Employment Protection Act of 1975…
Social responsibility for women’s health during childbearing was first recognised through the 1911 National Insurance Act. It included a universal maternal health benefit and a one off maternity grant of 30 shillings for insured women (around £119 in today’s money).
However, many women were routinely sacked for becoming pregnant until the late 1970s and the UK only introduced its first maternity leave legislation through the Employment Protection Act 1975. However, for the first 15 years (until 1990!) only about half of working women were eligible for it because of long qualifying periods of employment.
Today in the UK employees can take up to 52 weeks of Statutory Maternity Leave, of which the first two weeks after the baby is born is ‘compulsory’ maternity leave (4 weeks for women who work in a factory).
The ‘Paternity Act’ (2010)…
In 2003, male employees received paid statutory paternity leave for the first time, an entitlement that was extended in January 2010.
Since 2010 (following what is often called the ‘Paternity Act’).
This leave is divided into a two 26-week periods. After the first 26 weeks, the father of the child (or the mother’s partner) has the right to take up to 26 weeks’ leave if their partner returns to work, in effect taking the place of the mother at home. Eligible employees can take similar periods of Statutory Adoption Leave.
It is unlawful to dismiss (or single out for redundancy) a pregnant employee for reasons connected with her pregnancy.
From 2015, parents will be given the right to share the care of their child in the first year after birth. Women in employment will retain their right to 52 weeks of maternity leave. Only mothers will be allowed to take leave in the first two weeks’ leave after birth. But after that parents can divide up the rest of the maternity leave.
The Civil Partnerships Act 2004 and the Marriage (Same-Sex Couples) Act 2013…
The Civil Partnership Act 2004 gave same-sex couples the rights and responsibilities similar to those in a civil marriage.
The Act was introduced by the New Labour government in power at the time.
Civil partners are entitled to the same property rights, the same exemptions on inheritance tax, social security and pension benefits as married couples.
They also have the same ability to get parental responsibility for a partner’s children as well as reasonable maintenance, tenancy rights, insurance and next-of-kin rights in hospital and with doctors.
There is a process similar to divorce for dissolving a civil partnership. 18,059 couples entered into a civil partnership between December 2005 and the end of December 2006, with approximately 6000 taking place each year since.
The Marriage (Same-Sex Couples) Act 2013 allows same-sex couples to enter into a marriage in England and Wales on the same basis as heterosexual couples, and to convert Civil Partnerships to Marriage.
The Adoption Act (2002)…
Came into force in 2015.
In 2005, under New Labour, the law on adoption changed, giving unmarried couples, including gay couples, the right to adopt on the same basis as married couples.
The Child Benefit Act (1975) and significant changes (1998 and 2013)…
The Child Benefit Bill introduced for the first time a universal payment, paid for each child.
The rate payable was £1/week for the first and £1.50 for each subsequent child. An additional 50p was payable to lone-parent families.
Child Benefits increased in line with inflation, until 1998, when the new Labour government increased the first child rate by more than 20%, and abolished the Lone Parent rate.
Rates increased again in line with inflation until 2010, since which time they have been frozen.
Effective from 7 January 2013, Child Benefit became means tested – those earning more than £50,000 per year would have part of their benefit withdrawn, and if earning over £60,000, would receive nothing at all.
