policies supporting patriarchy

• how do tax & benefits policies maintain patriarchy? 


  -assume husbands are the main wage earners and wives are dependent
• what's the effect of tax & benefit policies on women?


  -make it impossible for wives to claim social security benefits in own right

  -as it's expected husbands will provide for them

  -this reinforces women's dependence on husbands
• how does childcare maintain patriarchy?


  -government paid childcare isn't enough to permit parents to full time work

  > unless they meet additional costs themselves

  -policies governing school timetables & holidays make it hard to work full time
• effect of childcare policies on women?


  -restricted from working full time

  -placed in position of economic dependence on husband
• how do policies of sick & elderly maintain patriarchy?


  -government assumes family will provide this care

  -middle aged women are expected to do the caring

  -preventing them from working full time and so increasing their economic dependence on husbands
• Leonard - care for sick & elderly


  -even when policies appear to support women, they may still reinforce patriarchal family

  -act as form of social control over women
• example of policy not actually supporting women

  -maternity entitlement much more generous than paternity

  -encourages assumption that infants care is mothers responsibility

  -maternity benefits are low > increasing mothers' economic responsibility
• what do social policies do?


  -help create & maintain patriarchal roles & relationships they assume to be the norm