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THE NATURE AND EXTENT OF SOCIAL CHANGE - Coggle Diagram
THE NATURE AND EXTENT OF SOCIAL CHANGE
Nature of social change
OBRA finance cuts targeted federal spending projects for the poorest.
Altered AFDC - fewer people were eligible and many of the payments were limited (capped).
Hit the poor the hardest.
Welfare ---> 'Workfare'. For example, requiring at least one working parent before it paid out family benefit.
IMPACT ON MINORITIES/WOMEN
Hard working, well educated, middle class, conformist black Americans did well - especially black women as they 2 filled minority quotas for businesses.
Reagan had a black cabinet member, Chicago and Philadelphia elected black mayors
Some black Americans such as Oprah Winfrey had successful TV shows.
Black music industry was successful - Michael Jackson, Prince, Whitney Houston.
Reagan appointed a woman (Sandra Day) to the supreme court.
Black poverty remained high, never dropped below 30%.
Reagan's policies didn't help the inner cities, and ghettos stayed poor (mainly black).
Black Americans didn't get much representation in government - only 7 out of 368 federal judges were black.
Even successful black people felt the constant pressure of being in a minority group e.g. only being seen as a quota hire.
Welfare cuts hit AA badly:
1980- AA made up about 12% of the population but made up 43% of those receiving welfare under the AFDC.
Some accused Reagan of ignoring the AIDS epidemic until his friend, Rock Hudson, died of AIDS.
Reagan was lukewarm towards women's rights. He did not support the equal rights act and was against abortion.
Reagan did address meetings on the AIDS epidemic, and his administration provided funding for AIDS research in 1982.
IMPACT ON WELFARE PROVISION AND WORKING CONDITIONS.
A lot of the 'workfare' work paid below minimum wage, so families struggled.
1985: 3.7 million families who qualified for a low income home, but could not move into one as there were none available. This was due to Reagan slashing federal funding for building low-income homes.
Slashes in federal spending for building low income homes:
1978: $32 billion
1988: $9 billion
led to an increase in homelessness, which was something the public found hard to accept.
Removal of regulations on working conditions- many had to work longer hours which meant less leisure time.
Young people became worse off, businesses could offer a lower salary to people for the same job - usually offered to young people.
1987- congress pushed through a bill giving federal help to projects for the homeless.
1984- federal funding for the homeless was $300 million.
1988- federal funding for the homeless was $1.6 billion
FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) ran the food and shelter programme from 1987
FEMA set up a federal housing project with emphasis on elderly, disabled, veterans, families, children, NA.
IMPACT ON BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY.
Reagans policies favoured big businesses, as they profited from reduced federal regulation over wages, working hours, and working conditions.
Reagan avoided the issue of rising interest rates, which was a key reason why many small businesses went under.
Farming badly affected:
-bad drought in the 1980s- farms failed and bought out by agri-business.
-Farmers were committing suicide at 4 times the rate of any other workers.
Changing production:
Older industries such as textiles were doing badly against foreign imports.
Manufactuers of older goods were hit badly by Reagan's refusal to impose tariffs.
New industries were doing well.
Defence industry doing well - Reagan administration increased spending on defence.
New technologies doing well.
Bi-coastal boom:
industries doing well created more employment, which encouraged more people to move to where these industries were stationed.
Resulted in a population shift from the North/East to the South/west.