Topic 7 - Families and social policy Flashcards

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1
Q

CHINA’S ONE CHILD POLICY: 1980-2015

A

Aim of the policy was to discourage couples living in urban areas to have more than one child, to reduce starvation caused by overpopulation.
Supervised by workplace family planning committees - women had to go to these and ask permission to try to become pregnant - there was often a waiting list.
Couples who complied with the policy got extra benefits e.g. free child healthcare and higher tax allowances, an only child had priority in education.
Couples who broke the agreement had to repay all
allowances given to them, as well as pay a fine
Many women were pressured to be sterilised after their
first child.
This policy was abandoned in 2015 - now the three child policy

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2
Q

COMMUNIST ROMANIA: 1980s

A

Aim of the policy, introduced in the 1980s, is to drive up birth rates.

Restricted contraception and abortion, set up infertility treatment centres, made divorce more difficult, lowered the legal age of marriage to 15 and made unmarried adults and childless couples pay an extra 5% income tax.
This meant that more children were
born to couples who could not afford
them.
Many of these were abandoned,
ending up in overcrowded orphanages

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3
Q

NAZI FAMILY POLICY: 1930s

A

In the 1930s, Germany employed a two-fold policy
On the one hand, it encouraged the healthy and supposedly ‘racially pure’ to breed a ‘master race’ e.g. by restricting access to contraception. Policy aimed to keep women out of the workforce, and confined them to ‘children, kitchen and church’ - they believed they were biologically suited to these roles
On the other hand, they also sterilised 375,000 disabled women, who they deemed ‘unfit to breed’ e.g. if they had “physical malformation, mental retardation, epilepsy, imbecility, deafness or blindness”. Most of them were later killed in concentration camps.

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4
Q

POLICIES AFFECTING THE FAMILY

A

Taxation policies e.g. how much is taken from families, child tax credit etc.
Changes to Income Support for Lone Parents since 2014
Welfare benefits
Housing policies
Policies regarding crime

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5
Q

POLICIES AFFECTING CHILDREN

A

Child benefits
Child protection laws
Child labour legislations
Compulsory schooling until 18 - ROSLA 2015
Age restrictions (for sex, marriage, working etc)

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6
Q

What is a social policy?

A

Social policies refer to laws made by the government

Social policies are very important as they regulate family life, influencing the structure of the family

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7
Q

Functionalist perspective - social policy

A

The state (government) act in the interests of society as a whole
Social policies are for the good of all
Social policies help families to perform their functions more effectively and make life better for all members

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8
Q

Functionalist Fletcher (1966)

A

Fletcher (1966) - the introduction of housing, health and education policies in the years since the industrial revolution has gradually led to development of a welfare state that supports the family in performing its functions effectively - this is a march of progress view (things are getting better)

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9
Q

FUNCTIONALISM - EVALUATION

A

Assumes two things:

All members of the family benefit equally from social policies – feminists disagree! Policies benefit men at the expense of women

  1. There is a ‘march of progress’ – Marxists argue policies can reverse progress i.e. welfare cuts to poor families
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10
Q

DONZELOT: POLICING THE FAMILY

A

Conflict view - policies are used by the government to control families - opposes the march of

progress view of Functionalists
Inspired by Foucalt’s (1976) concept of surveillance (observing and monitoring)
Professionals (doctors/social workers) exercise power over clients using expert knowledge to control
people
Donzelot applies this to family - professionals carry out surveillance of families - social workers,
health visitors and doctors use their knowledge to control and change families
Surveillance doesn’t target social classes equally - poor families are more likely to be seen as
‘problem families’, causing crime and anti-social behaviour. These are the families that are targeted
for ‘improvement’

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11
Q

Condry (2007) parents being forced to attend parenting courses for young offenders

A

the state controls and regulates families by imposing Parenting Orders through
the courts - parents of young offenders, truants or badly behaved children may be forced to attend
parenting courses to teach them the ‘correct’ way to bring up their children

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12
Q

DONZELOT: POLICING THE FAMILY Evaluation:

A

Marxists and feminists say he does not identify who benefits from policies of surveillance.
Marxists - say they benefit the capitalists class
Feminists - say they benefit men

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13
Q

THE NEW RIGHT VIEW ON SOCIAL POLICY AND THE FAMILY

A

New Right are strongly in favour of ‘traditional’ nuclear family: married, heterosexual couple, division of labour: female homemaker, male breadwinner

This family type is naturally self-reliant and capable of caring and providing for its members
They argue changes that have led to family diversity (e.g. divorce, same-sex partnerships, cohabitation, lone parents etc) are producing problems such as welfare dependency and crime

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14
Q

Brenda Almond (2006) NEW RIGHT

A

argues that state policies have undermined nuclear family:
Laws making Divorce easier - undermine the idea of marriage as a lifelong commitment
Civil partnership (2004) and Marriage (2014) Acts - sends the message that the state no longer sees heterosexual marriage as superior to other types

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15
Q

New Right Marriage

A

NR also point out increased rights of cohabiting couples (e.g. adoption & pension rights when a partner dies) make cohabiting more like marriage, sending the message that marriage is not special or better

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16
Q

New Right LONE PARENTS, WELFARE POLICY AND THE DEPENDENCY CULTURE

A

Murray (1984, 1990) argues that social policy has a major impact on family roles and relationships

‘Generous’ welfare benefits, like council housing for teenage mothers and cash payments for lone parents, undermine the traditional nuclear family and encourage deviant dysfunctional families and ‘dependency culture’ (people relying on the state to support them rather than being self-reliant)

17
Q

New Right, The current welfare state offers ‘perverse incentives’ - meaning it rewards irresponsible and anti-social behaviour. For example:

A

Fathers see the state will maintain their children so will abandon responsibilities towards their family
Council housing provided for unmarried teenage mothers encourages teenage pregnancy
Growth of lone-parent families, encouraged by generous welfare benefits, results in boys growing up without a male role model and consequently more likely to turn to crime
due to lack of a paternal authority figure

18
Q

New Right: The current system threatens two essential functions that the family fulfil in society:

A

Successful socialisation of the young
The maintenance of work ethic in the young

19
Q

THE NEW RIGHT’S SOLUTION

A

The New Right solution proposes cuts to welfare and tighter restriction on who is eligible for benefits (e.g. council housing for teen mothers and cash payouts for lone parents)

This in turn would lead to reduced taxes, providing an incentive for fathers to work to provide for their family.
It would also discourage teenagers from becoming pregnant.

NR would also advocate policies to support the nuclear family such as taxes that favoured married rather than cohabiting couples and making absent fathers financially responsible for their children.

In contrast to the Functionalist view that policies help families perform its functions, the New Right believe greater self reliance will enable the family to meet members needs most effectively - the less ‘interference’ by the state, the better!

20
Q

THE EVALUATION OF THE
NEW RIGHT

A

Feminists argue New Right attempt to justify traditional patriarchal family structure which subordinates women

It wrongly assumes the nuclear family is ‘natural’ rather than socially constructed (created by society)

Abbot and Wallace (1992) argue cutting poverty would drive families into greater poverty make them even less self-reliant

There are many policies that support and maintain the Nuclear Family, rather than undermine it - the New Right ignore this

21
Q

Conservative government (1979-1997) Influence of New Right

A

Thatchers section 28 - no promotion of homosexulaity

divorce = social problem
Child Support Agency - maintence payements by absent parents (usually the father)

opposing the views of the New Right;
making divorce easier
giving ‘illigitimate’ children the same rights as thoes born to married parents

22
Q

New Labour government (1997-2010) New Right influence

A

Family is the bedrock of society, new right and new labour agree

parents take responsiblity for thier children, new right and new labour. Parenting Orders for truants and young offenders.

Smart and Silva, New labour rejected the New Rights single earner ideals (New Labour, women in work to)

New labour dual earner, Neo conventional family (robert Chester)
Longer maternity leave - both parents can work
Working families tax credit - parents cliaming tax reilf on childcare costs
The New Deal, helping lone parents return to work

The new right opposes state intervention, by re distributing income through taxes and benefits

More opposition to New right:
civil partnerships for same sex couples
giving unmarried couples the same rights to adopt as married couples
Outlawing discrimination on grounds of sexulaity.

23
Q

The Coalition government (2010 – 2015)
New right influence

A

The conservaties have been long divided between what Hayton (2010) calls:
modernisers - who recognise that familes are now more diverse and are willing to reflect this in thier polices

traditionalists - who favour a New Right view and reject diveristy as morally wrong

The conservaties financial auesterity polices rejected the New Rights desire to cut public spending . However the coalition gov failed to introduce polices that specifically promote the New Right ideal of a conventional heterosexual nuclear family

Browne (2012) 2 parent familes with children fared particularly badly as a result of the governments tax and benefits polices.

24
Q

Feminist perspective - social policy

A

The state and it’s policies help maintain women’s
subordinate position and the unequal division
of labour in the family

25
Q

Feminist Hilary Land (1978) - Policy as a self-fulfilling prophecy

A

Policies are based on the assumption that the ‘normal’, ideal family is the patriarchal nuclear family with a male provider and a female homemaker, plus their dependent children
This ‘norm’ affects the kind of policies governing family life i.e. policies will favour this family type
In turn, the effect of these policies is to reinforce that particular type of family at the expense of others, creating a self-fulfilling prophecy e.g.

26
Q

Policies supporting the patriarchal nuclear family: Tax and benefits policies

A

Assume husbands are the main wage earners and wives are financially dependent
Makes it difficult for women to claim social security benefits e.g. job seekers allowance as husbands are expected to provide
This reinforces wives’ dependence on husbands

27
Q

Policies supporting the patriarchal nuclear family: Care for the sick and elderly

A

Government often assume the family will provide for the sick and elderly
Generally this means middle aged women are expected to do the caring (because of ingrained gender roles, socialisation)
This prevents them from working full time, increasing their economic dependence on their partner

28
Q

Policies supporting the patriarchal nuclear family:Childcare

A

Government provides some childcare for children over 9 months old (30 hours per week, term time only)
BUT, it is not enough to allow parents to work full-time unless they can meet the additional costs themselves
Policies around school holidays also make it hard for parents (usually the mother) to work full time unless they can afford the extra childcare
Women are therefore restricted from working and remain economically dependent on their partners

29
Q

Feminist Diane Leonard (1978)

A

argues that even when policies appear to support women, they may still reinforce the patriarchal family and act as a form of social control over women

e.g. maternity leave
this is much more generous than paternity leave - encourages the assumption that care of infants is the mother’s responsibility
maternity benefits are low - increasing mother’s economic dependence on their partners
career break - women may have missed out on opportunities for promotion/be viewed as less committed and overlooked

30
Q

Feminist Diane Leonard (1978)

A

e.g. Child benefit
usually paid to the mother
Although this provides a source of income that does not depend on the father, it assumes the child’s welfare is primarily the mothers’ responsibility

These examples show the importance of social policies in the social construction of patriarchal family roles and relationships, by making it easier for women to take responsibility for childcare or assuming men are the main earners

31
Q

Evaluating feminist views of social poilicy

A

Not all policies are directed at maintaining patriarchy, some challenge it e.g.

equal pay and sex discrimination laws
rights for gay people to marry
benefits for lone parents
refuges for women escaping domestic violence
equal rights to divorce
rape within marriage made a criminal offence (1991)

These could all be said to help improve the position of women in the family and wider society

32
Q

Eileen Drew (1995) talks of ‘gender regimes’ when describing
how social policies in different countries can either encourage
or discourage gender equality in the family and at work

A

Traditional ‘familistic’ gender regime
‘Individualistic’ gender regime

33
Q

Evaluation of Drew’s gender regimes

A

Drew argues that most European countries (including UK) are moving towards individualistic gender regimes
● This is likely to bring a move away from the patriarchal nuclear family and towards more gender equality in the family
● However, some individualistic policies e.g. funded childcare, are expensive! There is major conflict about who should benefit from them and who should pay for them
● Therefore, we need to be cautious about assuming there is an inevitable ‘march of progress’ towards gender equality
● E.g. since the global recession of 2008, there have been huge cuts to welfare, resulting in a lot of extra pressure and responsibility on women to provide care for family members