social policy Flashcards
what is social policy ?
plans and actions of state agencies such as health and social services, welfare system, schools etc.
they can directly affect family as well as indirectly e.g. compulsory education
functionalist view
see state as in the interest of society as whole
policies help families to perform the functions more effectively
criticism of functionalists view
- wrongly assume all members of family benefit equally- fem say men benefit more.
- assume there is a march of progress e.g. policies steadily making family life better
studies of functionalists
-donzelot; sees policy as form of state power and control over fam
sees power as something held by government but spread through society
poor fam more likely seen as problem fams.
-condry; state via imposing compulsory parenting orders may seek to control and regulate family life
new right view
state policies have encouraged divorce, cohabitation and lone parent hood
studies of new right
-Murray; providing generous welfare benefits to unmarried mothers undermines nuclear fam
welfare benefits offer perverse intensives
cut benefits
advocate policies which support traditional fam; couples tax allowance
criticism of new right view
fem argue their polices attempt to return traditional patriarchal family
abbot and Wallace say cutting benefits would drive poor families into greater poverty
conservative government
79-97
reflect new right view in banning promotion of homosexuality by la’s.
defined divorce as a social problem
new labour 97-2010
emphasise the need for parents to take responsibility for kids - parenting orders for parents of truants
favour dual earner neo conventional fam.
- longer maternity leave , working fam tax credit , new deal helping lone parents return back to work
civil partnerships , same sex couples can adopt
the coalition
modernist- recognise fam is more diverse
traditionalists- reject diversity
introduced gay marriage
feminism view
state and policies help maintain women subordinate position and unequal gender division
studies of feminism
Hilary land; these policies help maintain conventional patriarchal family
- tax benefit policy
- childcare
- policies governing school timetables and holidays
- care for the sick and elderly
Diana Leonard; where policies seem to support women still reinforce patriarchal family
e.g. longer maternity leave
gender regimes
-familistic gender regimes;
male breadwinner,female housewife, women have to rely on their kin.
-individualistic gender regimes;
policies based on the belief husbands and wives treated the same. wives not assumed to financially dependent on husband
Marxist view
social policies don’t benefit all members of society
don’t believe there is a march of progress
internationalist and post modernists view
ideology in family policy may generalise the family and ignore complexity of family arrangements
