Unit 1: Families and Households(6) Social Policy and the Family

Social Policy and the Family (Intro)• Social policies: are the measures taken by state

bodies such as schools and welfare agencies• They are usually based on laws introduced by

government• Laws and policies can have both direct and

indirect effects on the family: 1. Direct effects2. Indirect effect

1. Direct effects

• Some policies are aimed specifically at family life – e.g. laws on marriage, divorce, child protection, contraception and abortion

2. Indirect effects

• Policies on other social or economic issues also affect the family –

• E.g. Compulsory schooling provides childcare for working parents but also keeps children dependent financially for longer

Application

• In essays on policy, you need to give examples of different policies and how they affect family life – so learn a range of them

Perspectives on policy and the family

Different perspectives have different views on the relationship between social policy and the family

Functionalism• Functionalists see society based on value

consensus • The state acts in the interests of the whole of

society and its policies benefit everyone• Policies HELP the family to perform its functions –

socialising children, caring for the welfare of its members etc.

• There is a ‘march of progress’ – policies are gradually improving family life; e.g. the welfare state enables families to look after their members better, through access to the NHS etc.

Evaluation

• Functionalism assumes policies benefit everyone, but feminists argue they benefit only men

• It also assumes policies make family better, but they can also make it worse, e.g. cutting benefits to poor families

The New Right • The New Right is a conservative political perspective

that opposes state intervention in family life• It has a major influence on social policy It sees the traditional nuclear family as ‘natural’ and

based on a biological division of labour between male breadwinner and female nurturer

If parents perform these roles properly, the family will be self-reliant, able to socialise children effectively and to care for its members

It opposes family diversity and sees lone-parent and same-sex families as damaging to children

cont. The New Right

• THE PROBLEM: • The New Right criticise many welfare policies for

undermining the family’s self-reliance by proving generous benefits, e.g. to lone parent families

This results in a ‘DEPENDENCY CULTURE’ where individuals depend on the state to support their families

Murray (1984): ‘Perverse incentives’

Murray (a New Right thinker): sees benefits as ‘PERVERSE INCENTIVES’ rewarding irresponsible behaviour –

• E.g. If the state provides benefits to lone-parent families

cont. The New Right

• THE SOLUTION:• The New Right favour cutting welfare spending,

especially universal benefits• This will give fathers more incentive to provide

for their families• Unlike functionalists, who sees policies

benefiting the family, the New Right believe that the less families depend on the state, the better

Evaluation

• Feminists criticise New Right views as an attempt to justify the patriarchal nuclear family that oppresses women

• They argue that the nuclear family is NOT ‘natural’ but socially constructed

The New Labour• New Labour is a political perspective • LIKE the New Right, it favours the traditional

family as usually the best place to raise children, and prefer means-tested benefits targeted at the poor rather than universal benefits

• However, UNLIKE the New Right:It is more accepting of family diversity – - E.g. it introduced the Civil Partnership Act and

legislation to allow co-habiting couples to adoptIt believes some policies can improve family life - E.g. extra benefits for poor families

Analysis

• You can score analysis marks by showing the similarities and/or differences between different theories

Feminism• Feminist is a conflict perspective• It see society based on a conflict of interests between men

and women• Society is patriarchal – male dominated Social policies often shape or define family life in ways that

benefit men and maintain patriarchy, disadvantaging women and maintaining their subordination

Land (1978) argues that policies often assume the patriarchal family to be the norm

• As a result, policies act as a self-fulfilling prophecy, actually helping to reproduce this family type

• For example, maternity leave is much longer than paternity leave, reinforcing women’s responsibility for childcare

Evaluation

• NOT ALL policies maintain patriarchy – • E.g. women’s refuges, laws against rape

in marriage • In Sweden, policies treat women as

individuals, NOT dependants

Marxism• Marxism is a conflict perspective • It sees society as divided into two classes, in

which the capitalist class exploit the working class by paying them less than the value of what they produce

• All social institutions – including policies – serve the interests of capitalism, e.g. the low levels of benefits for the old maintains on the cheap those who can no longer be used to produce profits

cont. Marxism• Policies affecting families often result from the

needs of capitalism, for example:• IN World War 2, women were needed as a

reserve army of labour and so the government set up nurseries to enable them to work

• AFTER the War, women were no longer needed and the nurseries were closed, forcing them back into the housewife role and dependence on their husbands

This shows how policies serve the needs of capitalism and how this may affect families

Interpretation

• In essays on how policies affect the family, you need to discuss them in the context of different perspectives