Topic 3- Social Policy Flashcards
What is the cross-cultural policy of China and Nazi Germany?
-China- beginning of 1980, increased economic growth through Decreased amount of children, one child policy
-Nazi Germany- 1939, create aryan race through eradicating Jewish population, restrict abortion, media, church, women’s role is children, kitchen and church, policy: secularisation, policy provides the expressive role
What is the Conservative view on family policy- 1979-97?
-Banned promotion of homosexuality by local authorities- ban on teaching homosexuality as an acceptable family relationship
-Set up Child Support Agency
-Some didn’t support New Right views- making divorce easier
-Lib Fems: support creation of Child Support Agency as it supports women’s economic needs ensuring fathers contribute towards child’s cost
What is the New Labour view on family policy (1997- 2010)?
-Many supported nuclear family as ideal for child’s stability
-Accept diversity- change to adoption laws, give cohabitation and gay couples the same right to adopt, longer maternity leave
-Support those who are materially and culturally deprived- benefits, working credit, EMA
-New Right: disagree with welfare state- gives preverse incentive to underclass, encouraging them not working, Inc dependency ratio
What is the coalition view on family policy (2010-2015)?
-Conservative Party divided by modernists and traditionalist
-Legalising gay marriage in 2013 (Lib Dem) has remained divided
-Cutting benefits and tuition free increase (Con influence)
-Failed to introduce policies that specifically promote the New Rights desire of traditional nuclear family
What is a functionalist theoretical perspective on social policy?
-See state as acting in the interests of society as a whole
-Policies help families perform functions more effectively
-Fletcher: NHS services help family to be better take care of its members when sick
-Rad Fems: policies benefit men more than women, assumes all policies make family life better- reversed- cuts on welfare
What is the feminist theoretical perspective on social policy?
-State policy helps maintain women’s subordinate position in the family
-Policies see ideal family as nuclear with different gender roles
-Leonard: policies can be seen to support women but actually reinforce patriarchy e.g maternity leave and childcare allowance
-Lib Fems: March of progress- divorce reform act 1969, equality act 2010 support women
What is the Marxist theoretical perspective on social policy?
-State and policy serves capitalism e.g low amount of state pension- when workers are too old they are maintained at lowest cost
-Class struggle helped enable social policy e.g compulsory education, health care- Marxists claim these policies are a disguise- health care to get workers back to work as fast as possible
What is the New Right theoretical perspective on social policy?
-Nuclear family is best- gender roles are natural
-If roles done right- family will be self-reliant and won’t need welfare state
-Diversity created a dependency culture
-Almond: policies such as divorce and gay marriage undermine heterosexual marriage as not superior
-Focus on: tighter benefit restrictions, better taxes for married couples, Child Support Agency
-Feminists: this would help reinforce patriarchy
What is Donzelots theoretical perspective on social policy?
-Believes social policy is a way for the state to control families
-Foucault- idea of being constantly watched
-Argues professions such as social workers, health visitors, police carry out surveillance on us
-‘Policing the family’
-Happens to perhaps working class families more
-Marxists and Feminists argue he doesn’t fully identify who benefits from surveillance
