Social Policy Flashcards
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1
Q
What are historical global policies implemented which affected the family?
A
- China = One child policy 1979-2015
- You will be fined and forced to be sterilised after having one child. This was introduced of the two child policy - Russia = Abolishing the family in 1920.
- Women could work and the state was able to provide childcare - Nazi Germany = Racially pure to bread a master race and restricted abortion. Women were not allowed in the workforce and they must perform their biological role
- Romania 1948-1989 = Increase population restricting contraception and abortion. The legal marriage age was also lowered
2
Q
What is a social policy?
A
- Refers to laws made by the government which aim to improve society. These laws provide the framework within which these agencies will operate
- Social policies will affect families directly or indirectly
3
Q
What did the Conservative policies focus on? What policies did they introduce?
A
- Hugely influenced by the New Right focussing on strengthening the nuclear family and traditional gender roles. They wanted to reduce welfare payments
- Child support, children’s act, section 28
- Marxists argue it is really an ideology to justify policies that benefit the ruling class
- This was the period of the largest growth in family diversity
4
Q
What did New Labour policies focus on? What policies did they introduce?
A
- They were influenced by the New Right but more progressive and favoured the dual earning family
- They supported alternative family types
- They introduced civil partnership, longer maternity leave and parenting orders
- Some would criticise them for not going further in their policies as they just wanted to cut public spending
5
Q
What did the Coalition government focus on? What policies did they introduce?
A
- They had inconsistent policies due to the conflict of MP’s
1. Modernists accepted diversity
2. Traditionalists favoured the nuclear family - Shared parental leave
- Equal Marriage
- Few fathers took advantage of additional parental leave
6
Q
What did the current conservative government focus on?
A
- The conservative government has focused on Brexit however passed some policies relating to the New Right
7
Q
What is the civil partnership act? How did this impact the family?
A
- Civil partners which are same sex couples have similar rights to married couples
- Increase in legally recognised same sex partnerships and more openly visible. This increases family diversity and undermines traditional gender role
8
Q
What is the equal marriage act? How did this impact the family?
A
- Allows same sex couples to marry in civil ceremonies which led to an increase in same sex couples
9
Q
What is the married couples tax allowance? How did this impact the family?
A
- This reduces the amount of tax you pay if you are married or in a civil partnership
- This encourages couples to get married and reinforces the nuclear family
10
Q
What is longer maternity leave? How did this impact the family?
A
- This allows additional maternity leave available to parents
- This allows a stronger bond between the child and mother but also encourage fathers to take a role in childcare
11
Q
What is the shared parental leave act? How did this impact the family?
A
- Parents are able to share the parental leave more equally meaning the father can take an active role in caring for the child
- Greater equality between men and women and an increase in number of men being stay at home parents. This undermines gender roles
12
Q
What is the equality act? How did this impact the family?
A
- This law protects people from being discriminated against due to their protected characteristics meaning they cannot be judged based on gender. This is furthered by the equal pay act 2010 which meant that women and men must receive equal pay for performing equal work
- This means that mothers do not earn less than their husbands in the workplace however men still often are in higher positions
13
Q
What is the child support agency? How did this impact the family?
A
- This covers the child’s living costs when one parent does not live with the parent or if there separated
- This ensures that lone parent families are able to provide a stable family life and have the basic needs such as food
14
Q
What is the children’s act? How did this impact the family?
A
- This is an act to protect children and improve services for them, this can be social services
- This ensures that intervention is in place and children are protected from harm
15
Q
What is the Beveridge Report 1942? How did this impact the family?
A
- Introduced the welfare state, housing benefit and the NHS
- According to New Right, this encouraged lone parent families to use the welfare state
16
Q
What is the Divorce Reform Act 1969? How did this impact the family?
A
- This meant that there was no need to prove fault and made it easier for couples to have a divorce
- Affected the families as it let to a rapid increase in divorce which led to family diversity. Undermined the nuclear family
17
Q
What is the legislation of the contraception pill 1967? How did this impact the family?
A
- This meant that contraception was widely available to women regardless of whether they were married
-This allows women greater control over fertility leading to smaller family sizes, encouraging careers and later child bearing
18
Q
What is the functionalist view on social policies?
A
- Social policies are desirable and implemented to support society. This helps family perform their functions more effectively
- Fletcher argued that the introduction of institutions has led to a development of a welfare state which supports the family in performing its functions. (NHS means they are able to take care of family)
19
Q
What view do functionalists take?
A
- They take a march of progress view that social policies are steadily making family life better
20
Q
What is criticisms of the functionalist view of social policy?
A
- Feminists argue social policies only benefit men at the expense of women
- Marxists suggest that social policies reverses the progress that has been previously made
21
Q
What did Donzelot believe about social policies?
A
- Donzelot takes a conflict view of society and sees policy as a form of state power and control
- Uses Foucault’s concept of surveillance as it is not targeted equally and mainly based on working class families
- Foucault sees power as diffused throughout society and found within all relationships. Power is embedded within knowledge and comes from everywhere (Social workers)
- Donzelot calls this policing of families as it is not targeted equally
- Donzelot rejects the functionalist march of progress view as it oppresses certain types of families through agencies of social control. This means professional knowledge is a form of power
- However Donzelot ignores who benefits from policies of surveillance
22
Q
What do the New Right believe about family and social policy?
(State, family, threatend)
A
- The New Right believe that the less state interference, the better as they must be self-reliant to meet it’s members needs
- They are strongly in favour of the conventional nuclear family as it provides care and socialisation
- The dependency culture threatens successful socialisation and maintaining a strong work ethic of men
23
Q
What policies do the New Right not like?
A
- They argue that state policies have undermined the nuclear family such as =
1. Divorce Reform Act = Undermines the idea that marriage is a lifelong commitment
2. Civil Partnerships = Heterosexual marriage must be superior
3. Tax laws which discriminate against NF
4. Increased rights for non married couples
24
Q
What does Charles Murray disagree with?
(Benefits family, what they do)
A
- Charles Murray argues that generous welfare benefits undermine the NF and encourage deviant family types. They believe fathers will see that state provides for their children and therefore abandon them. Also council housing for teen mums encourages young girls to get pregnant
- The growth of lone parent families encouraged by generous benefits means boys will grow up with a male role model
25
What does the New Right argue the state should change about policies?
- They should change policies to cut welfare spending and tighten restrictions for who is eligible. They should also deny council housing to teen mums to remove the incentive
- The state should introduce tax policies that favour married couples and make absent fathers financially responsible
26
What is an evaluation of the New Right?
- Feminists argue it tries to justify the NF which oppressed women
- Gender roles are not biological but socially constructed
- Abbott and Wallace argue that cutting benefits would make poor families even poorer
27
What does feminism believe about social policies?
- Policies are based on assumptions of the patriarchal nuclear family
- The effect of these policies is often to reinforce this family
28
What policies maintain the nuclear family according to feminism?
1. Tax and benefit policies that assume the husband is the main earner and that the husband will provide for the wife
2. Childcare that doesn't allow parents to work full time or in school term dates unless they cover the costs of childcare
3. Care for the sick and elderly as the policies assume the family will provide this care
29
What does Diana Leonard argue?
Policies may seem to benefit women but actually reinforce patriarchy in the family (Maternity leave duration and pay)
30
What is an evaluation of feminism?
- Not all policies are directed at maintaining patriarchy such as equal marriage, divorce reform act, equal pay law, benefits for lone parents which have improved the position of women
31
What does Eileen Drew argue?
- Uses the concept of gender regimes to describe how social policies in other countries can encourage or discourage equality in the home
There are two gender regimes which have occurred =
1. Familistic gender regimes which are based on a traditional gender division
2. Individualistic gender regimes which are based on the idea that husband and wives should be treated as equal and not based on assumptions
- Drew argues that most EU countries are moving towards individualistic gender regimes however they are expensive and must determine who should benefit
32
What is believed about state v market?
- There is a trend towards neo-liberal welfare policies where people are encouraged to use the market rather than the state
33
What do Marxists believe about state policies?
- Family policy is a way for the ruling class to maintain their capitalist control of society and ensure the family supports capitalism
