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:

Having Children:

Children:

Welfare Benefits:

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.

Left Wing:

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

Right Wing:

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):

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.