Families and Households - Social Policy

Social Policies in the UK

Social Policies in Other Countries

Social Policy History in the UK

Perspectives on Families and Social Policies

Social Policy: Laws or Plans made by the Government

Marriage & Divorce:

  • Divorce Reform Act (1969) - Could lead to increase in lone parent
  • Same Sex Marriage (2012) - decline in nuclear family

Having Children:

  • Contraceptive Pill (1961 & 1967)
  • Abortion Act (1967)
  • Adoption and Children Act (2002) - single people could apply for adoption

Children:

  • Child Labour Laws
  • Compulsory Schooling (2015)
  • Age Restriction Laws

Welfare Benefits:

  • New Deal (1998) - helped lone mothers get back to work
  • Child Support Agency (1993)
  • Parental Leave Act (1998)
  • Millar compared certain aspects of life in the 1970's to the 2000's in order to analyse the effects of social policies:
    • Number of Abortions 1970's-111,000 - 2008-178,000 (Increase due to Abortion Act)
    • Number of Divorces 1970's-79,000 - 2008-158,000 (Increase due to Divorce Reform Act)
    • % of Familes headed by Lone Parents 1970's-8% - 2008-24% (Increase due to divorce reform act & adoption act)
    • Average Household Size 1970's-3.1 - 2008-2.4 (decrease due to contraception & abortion act)
    • % of Mothers Exmployed 1970's-49% - 2008-69% (Increase due to New Deal & Parental Leave act)

Germany 1930's:

  • Nazi Germany - Encouraged 'racially pure' to breed a 'master race'. This led to 375,000 disabled people being sterilised.

China 1980's:

  • Wanted to restrict the population growing by introducing the one child policy, with benefits for those who complied and punishments for those who didn't.

Romania 1980's:

  • Government tired to increase the birth rate by restricting contraception and abortion and divorce. Unmarried individuals and childless couples had to pay an extra 5% tax.
  • 1979-1997 - Conservatives (Margaret Thatcher)
  • 1997-2010 - Labour (Tony Blair)
  • 2010-2015 - Conservatives & Lib-Dem's (David Cameron & Nick Clegg)
  • 2015- ... - Conservatives

Left Wing:

  • Nuclear family s desirable but alternative family types are also acceptable
  • The state should play a role in family life

Right Wing:

  • Nuclear family is ideal family type.
  • Alternative types are inadequate
  • The state should pay a limited role n family life

1979-97 New Right - Conservative:

  • Nuclear family encouraged
  • Greater self - reliance (less reliance on state) will allow the family to meet its need more efficiently
  • Increase in family diversity threatens the conventional family and produces social problems
  • Tighter restrictions on benefits and who is eligible for them
  • Marriage tax to encourage those to marry
    Evaluation:
  • Blames the victims
  • +Were in power for a long time
  • assumes other family types are inferior
  • Many lone parents are working not on benefits

1997-2010 New Labour:

  • First government to address the division of labour in the family
  • Have a better acceptance for family diversity but nuclear family is desirable
  • Introduced policies to help lone parents
  • Appointed a minister of children
  • Believe state intervention can be beneficial for family life-child tax credits to be paid to the main caregiver
    Evaluation:
  • +accepting of family diversity
  • functionalists disagree
  • 'nanny state'-too much interference
  • +Helps with benefits & focuses on children

2010-2015 Coalition (Conservatives & Lib Dems):

  • Continued a lot of New Right ideas
  • Concerned about Traditional family values being lost
  • Promotes increase in paternity leave
  • Conservatives divided; Traditionalists and Modernists
    Evaluation:
  • +Positive laws-paternity leave& same-sex marriage
  • Inconsistent family policies
  • Increased inequalities

Donzelot: Policing the Family

  • Donzelot offers a different perspective on the relationship between the family and state policies.
  • He has a conflict view of society and he sees policy as a form of state power and control over families.
  • He uses Foucault's concept of surveillance (observing and monitoring) and applies this idea to the family.
  • In particular, he argues that social workers, health visitors and doctors use their knowledge to control 'problem' families.

Evaluation:

  • Functionalists argue that social policies are beneficial for the family
  • Marxists and Feminists criticise Donzelot for failing to identify clearly who benefits from such policies, Marxists argue policies benefit the bourgeoisie whereas, Feminists argue that policies benefit men.