Test 1 Flashcards
Structural definition
“Two or more people related by blood, adoption or marriage” (lecture)
- who is in the family
- number of members
Functional definition
“Two or more people who care for each other and share economically”
Roles of members, what they do
Definition of family ( Census Bureau)
A group of two or more persons related by birth, marriage, or adoption who reside together in the same household
Definition of family (Ooms and Preister)
Two or more persons related by birth, marriage, or adoption
Definition of family (National Institute of Mental Health, 2005)
“Family = Network of Mutual Commitment”
Definition of family (Stack, 1996, p. 31).
Ultimately, I define ‘family’ as the smallest, organized, durable network of kin and non-kin who interact daily, providing domestic needs of children and assuring their survival
Definition of family (Collins)
• Any unit in which there exists:
- -Sharing of economic property
- -A caring and supportive relationship
- -A sense of commitment or identification with the other members
- -Including any children born to or raised by members
Family, as defined by a 1970s Long Island, New York housing code (upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1974)
“One or more persons related by blood, adoption, or marriage, living and cooking together as a single housekeeping unit, exclusive of household servants.”
“A number of persons but not exceeding two (2) living and cooking together as a single housekeeping unit though not related by blood, adoption, or marriage shall be deemed to constitute a family.”
Should there be a universal definition of family?
Defining family is not easy
Risk of being either too narrow or too broad
Precedence (being more important) of family
No legal definition of “family” in the U.S. Constitution, the federal statutes, or regulations, or many state statutes
“Family” is purposely absent from the U.S. constitution.
Why should definitions of “family” matter to family policy makers?
Money, benefits, who it goes to, need to know who is included and where to draw the line
Is this a family? (percentages)
**86% said a single parent and child constitute a family
**88% consider a married childless couple a family.
**If a heterosexual cohabiting couple (over 9 million people in U.S.) has no children, a majority of the public says they are not a family.
**80% said an unmarried heterosexual couple living together with a child is a family
**63% said a gay or lesbian couple raising a child is a family.
Does it matter who is in or out of a system?
YES!
Who is in and who is out of a system matters!
Overall take away on definition of family
**Analyzed definitions of “family”
**U.S. constitution does not have any definition of family
**U.S. government does not have one, clear definition of family
**U.S. policy defines family differently for different purposes
**In this course we will use the word “family” inclusively, but at times it will be useful to be clear about what definition is being use
Structural or functional?
Two or more people who care for each other and share economically
Emma thinks both
Where does family policy fit?
Public Policy
Social Policy
Family Policy
Public Policy
The development, enactment, and implementation of a plan or course of action carried out through law, rule, code, or mechanism in the public or private sector
• EX: stop sign, punishment for robbing someone, having to wear a hard hat for job site, roads
Social Policy
Policies that deal with individuals or groups of people in society
• Ex: individuals or groups of people, criminal justice, education system, family law, sexual harassment, discrimination, equal rights, pay
Family Policy
A subfield of social policy which specifically focuses on “family business,” (Blankenhorn, 1990, p. 18), specifically four family functions:
1. family creation or composition,
o Divorce, childbirth, marriage
2. economic support,
o Food stamps, pay,
3. childrearing, and
- family caregiving
o Economic support for families, care for child
Family creation/composition (Family Policy)
Examples: Childbirth, marriage, divorce, adoption, foster care
Economic support (Family Policy)
Examples: Families’ ability to provide for basic needs such as food, shelter, clothing, health
Development of children (Family Policy)
Examples: Parents’/guardian’s ability to nurture, rear and educate their children
Family care (Family Policy)
Examples: Families’ ability to care for members who are chronically ill, frail, or have disabilities
Is public school education family policy?
NO!
Seems like it should fit under “Development of children” (Parents’/guardian’s ability to nurture, rear and educate their children)
Explicit and Implicit family policy
There are many social policies that affect families even if they do not actually fit narrow definitions of “family policy”
• Can this policy exist if there is only one person involved?
o Have to have more than one person for explicit
Explicit Family Policy
Social policies in which the consequences for families are deliberately structured
They are directed at:
- Family creation/composition
- Economic support
- Development of children
- Family care
- Someone sat down and wrote a law or code and said this is how we are going to interact with family
- 4 categories of fam policy (above)
- Most in family creation/composition
- *Family composition: Childbirth, marriage, divorce, adoption, fostercare
- *Economic support: Families’ ability to provide for basic needs such as food, shelter, clothing, health
- *Development of children: Parents’ ability to nurture, rear and educate their children
- *Family care: Families’ ability to care for members who are chronically ill, frail, or have disabilites
Implicit Family Policy
Social policies that have nonfamilial objectives but which nonetheless affect families
They affect:
family stability
family relationships
family’s ability to carry out its responsibilities: economic support, development of children, family care
- Public school- busing, schedule, calendar
- EX: Roseville starting early and then wanting to start late
Are not deliberately structured to affect families
But they affect families’ ability to function especially in the areas of:
Economic support
Development of children
Family care
Family Policy Perspective
Family Policy Perspective: An analysis of any policy or program, for its impact on family well-being (e.g. family stability, family relationships, and the family’s ability to carry out its responsibilities)
Another term = “family impact perspective”
Label each of the following as “Explicit” or “Implicit” family policy
Child care Health care Child support Housing Divorce Poverty Juvenile crime Teenage pregnancy Substance abuse Unemployment Long-term care
**Explicit Child Care Child support divorce Juvenile crime teenage pregnancy long term care
**Implicit Health care housing Poverty Substance abuse Unemployment
- Poverty- Implicit…. Not always b/c of things like TAMF
- Juvenile crime- Explicit b/c has to do with minor but could argue other side
- Teenage pregnancy- Explicit b/c has to do with minors and parents
- Substance abuse- Implicit b/c some could not have family and policies are just for the individual
- Long-term care (elderly)- explicit b/c a lot include families but there is some who don’t have family
What is an explicit family policy? (class 4)
Social policies in which the consequences for families are deliberately structured Directed at: Family creation/composition Economic support Development of children Family care
Global Family Leave
190 countries
178 guarantee paid leave for new mothers
9 unclear about their maternity policies
3 countries clearly offer no legal guarantee of paid maternity leave – Papua New Guinea, Swaziland and the United States.
Why should parental leave policy be a national concern?
Well loved, securely attached children are in society’s best interest
Grow up to be productive citizens
Example: Family Leave
Three levels:
- Federal: Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
- State: e.g. CA paid family leave
- Individual employer: e.g. Maternity/ paternity leave policies
Federal level: Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
August 1993
First unified attempt at Federal leave legislation in the US
What is FMLA?
Entitles eligible employees to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave in a 12-month period for specified family and medical reasons.
What can FMLA be used for?
- Birth and care of the newborn child
- Set-up adoption or foster care
- To care for an immediate family member (spouse, child, or parent) with a serious health condition
- To take medical leave when the employee is unable to work because of a serious health condition
FMLA advantages
Uniformity, inclusiveness
Guarantees job back after you take a leave
Health insurance continued during the leave
Provides a grievance system for making complaints against an employer
FMLA disadvantages
- It’s unpaid!
- 41 million people - nearly half of the private workforce are not protected by the law.
- People aren’t aware of the variety of ways it can be used
- Mothers more encouraged to use it than fathers
- Not really long enough to be useful, but too long to be unpaid
lots not covered
Why must be eligible? FMLA
Been with employer 12 months yet
Work more than 25 hours/week
Work for company with more than 50 employees in a 75 mile radius.
“Key” employees are exempt
The National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2008
Amends the FMLA of 1993
“Spouse, son, daughter, parent, or next of kin” can take up to 26 workweeks of leave to care for a “member of the Armed Forces, including a member of the National Guard or Reserves, who is undergoing medical treatment, recuperation, or therapy, is otherwise in outpatient status, or is otherwise on the temporary disability retired list, for a serious injury or illness.” (January 28, 2008)
Expanded protection for military families and airline flight crews
Moving to other levels
One way to attack work and family issues is at the National level
Risk of being too broad or too narrow.
Another approach is at the state level.
Several states have passed legislation that augments the federal legislation.
State Level
States that have enacted their “own versions” of family leave
California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maine, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, District of Columbia
Minnesota FMLA
Employers with 21 or more employees must grant up to 6 weeks unpaid leave to new parents (birth or adoption)
FEB 2008:
Proposed paid parental leave for Minnesota workers to care for a newborn or newly adopted child.
State would reimburse employers for providing paid leave.
Minimum of 6 weeks but up to 26 weeks.
Employers would be reimbursed for half their weekly payment to their employees, up to $250 per week.
Status: The bill did NOT pass and no further action has been taken
State level: California FMLA
*CA passed first paid family leave
Six weeks of partial pay to workers who take family leave
Funded through the State Disability Insurance program
*CA paid leave July 2004
Funded entirely by employees.
Average additional annual cost is $46.00 per worker.
A minimum wage earner pays $11.23 a year
Benefits replaced approximately 55% of wages up to a maximum of $1011 per week beginning Jan 1, 2012.
Washington FMLA
Second state to pass paid family leave
Passed legislation in 2007
Up to five weeks off with $250 per week, effective October 1, 2009.
Not yet enacted!
New Jersey: Family Leave Insurance
Passed May 2, 2008
100% worker-funded
Workers pay 34-64 cents/week starting January 1, 2009.
2/3 of normal paycheck (capped at $524/wk in 2008) for up to six weeks starting July 1, 2009.
Rhode Island FMLA
Enacted a paid family leave benefit as of Jan 1, 2014
Individual Employers: Maternity/Paternity leaves
Mostly large corporations/businesses
6 weeks paid common for mothers
1-2 weeks paid common for fathers
The U.S. family leave system is confusing and overwhelming. Why?
Many new parents do not know what they are entitled to do.
Parents must figure out what combination they can use
Many parents cobble together a little of this and a little of that
Examples: ?
If you were a policy maker, how would you ensure that families had access to family leave?
In your opinion, is this a federal, state or individual employer issue to solve?
What if any changes would you make to the federal family leave policy?
Class discussion
History of family policy in the USA
Family policy should reflect values and meet the needs of the families who live in the United States.
This is a very difficult task given our size and diversity and the limitations of our “historical context”
Who founded this country and why?
It is important to consider the values and goals of the people who wrote our constitution
Revolutionary War
(1775-1783)
Breaking the ties of family legacy
- Goal of war to break away from the “Motherland”
- Break away from a system where individuals were judged based on their family names and ranks
- Founders wanted individuals to be able to prove themselves
- Didn’t matter if your family had land, money or anything… pretty much anyone could get land
*No mention of family in constitution
Preamble to the U.S. Constitution (1787
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
- Were thinking forward
- Many wanted to get away from past
