Politics, social policy and the family

• How did Communist Romania’s policies affect families?

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  • In the 1980s, Romania’s government aimed to increase birth rates to grow the population.
  • Banned contraception and abortion to force women to have more children.
  • Introduced tax penalties for childless couples to encourage childbirth.
  • Many families struggled financially due to enforced large family sizes.
  • Led to high rates of child abandonment and overcrowded orphanages.
• What was the impact of China’s One-Child Policy?

  • Introduced in 1979 to control rapid population growth.
  • Families were restricted to having only one child, with exceptions for rural families and ethnic minorities.
  • Enforced through incentives (e.g., free healthcare, education) and punishments (e.g., fines, forced abortions).
  • Created gender imbalances due to a preference for male children.
  • Policy was relaxed in 2015, allowing two children per family due to an ageing population.
• What were Nazi family policies in Germany?

  • Promoted traditional gender roles: women as mothers, men as workers.
  • Encouraged childbirth among "racially pure" Germans with incentives like the Mother’s Cross award.
  • Restricted contraception and abortion for "Aryan" women but forced sterilisation on those deemed "unfit" to reproduce.
  • Glorified the nuclear family, discouraging women from working.
  • Aimed to create an "Aryan" population through strict family policies.
• What is the Working family tax credits Policy?

  was introduced in 1999 to support low-income working families. It provided means-tested financial support to help parents stay in employment and reduce child poverty. The amount depended on income and family size. It was replaced by Working Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit in 2003 and later by Universal Credit.
• What is the Child Benefit policy?

  a government payment to parents or guardians to help with the cost of raising children. It is paid per child and is not means-tested, but households earning over a certain threshold may have to pay a tax charge. It aims to support families financially and encourage child well-being.
• What is the National Minimum Wage policy?

  introduced in 1999, the National Minimum Wage ensures that workers receive a legal minimum hourly wage based on their age. It helps reduce exploitation, support low-income workers, and improve living standards, indirectly benefiting families by ensuring financial stability.
• What is the Maternity and Paternity Leave policy?

  maternity and paternity leave allow working parents to take time off after the birth or adoption of a child. Mothers get up to 52 weeks of maternity leave, while fathers can take up to two weeks of paternity leave. Some workplaces offer Shared Parental Leave, allowing parents to split time off. This policy supports family bonding and work-life balance.
• What is the Pre-school Places policy?

  this policy provides free early years education for children aged 3-4 years old in the UK. Some 2-year-olds from low-income families are also eligible. It aims to improve child development, school readiness, and support working parents by reducing childcare costs
• What is the Marital Rape Law?

  the 1991 law change in the UK made marital rape illegal, recognising that consent is required in all sexual relationships, including marriage. This was a key feminist victory, challenging traditional patriarchal views and increasing legal protection for women against domestic abuse.
• What are Same-Sex Adoption Laws?

  legalised in 2002 (England and Wales), same-sex couples gained the right to adopt children, ensuring they have equal parenting rights. This law promotes family diversity and challenges the traditional nuclear family model.
• What is the Same-Sex Marriage policy?

  legalised in 2014 (England and Wales), same-sex marriage grants LGBT+ couples the same legal rights as heterosexual couples, including inheritance, tax benefits, and parental rights. This reflects changing social attitudes and greater equality in family life.
• What are the functionalist views of social policy?

  They see the state as acting in interest of society as a whole and its social policies are for the good of all. They see social policies as helpin families to perform their functions more effectively and make life better for their members. Therefore, Functionalists are in favour of 'universal benefits'
• What are the functionalist 'Fletcher's'

  views of social policy?

  Argues that the introduction of the Welfare State (health, housing, education etc) in the years of 2nd World War has led to a state that supports the family. For example the existence of the NHS means that the family is better able to take care of its members when they are sick.
• What is the criticism of the functionalist views of social policy?


  • They assume all members of the family benefit equally from social policies whereas other argues this is not the case. For example; feminists argue that policies only benefit men.
  • Functionalists assume there is a 'march of progress' with social policies steadily making family life better. However Marxists argue that policies can also turn back the clock and reverse the progress that has previously been made e.g; cutting welfare benefits to poor families
• (Functionalist criticism) Donzelot - Policing the family

  Donzelot uses a conflict view to explain the role of social policy, he sees policy as a form of state power and control over families. He uses Foucault’s concept of 'surveillance'
• (Functionalist Criticism) Donzelot - Policing the family

  Donzelot uses a conflict view to explain the role of social policy, sees policy as a form of state power + control over families. Uses the concept of 'surveillance' + sees power not just as something held by the government but also by social workers + health visitors who use their knowledge to control families.

  Calls this 'policing of families' these caring professionals acts as agents of social control through their surveillance of families For e.g; compulsory parenting orders may be imposed through the courts
• Criticisms of Donzelot's view

  • Marxists + Feminists argue Donzelot fails to explain who benefits from such policies of surveillance.
  • Social workers and health visitors may disagree that they're trying to control families and see their role as one of the helping families
• What is the New Right view of social policy?

  They see the traditional nuclear family with its division of labour between a male provider and female home-maker as self-reliant and capable of caring for its members. They believe social policies should therefore avoid doing anything that might undermine the natural self-reliant family.

  • Argues that theres a tendency for families to have a dependancy culture
  • Argue that governments often weaken family's self-reliance by providing generous welfare benefits eg: council houses for teenage mothers and cash payments for lone parents.
• (New Right view of social policy) What did Murray say about it?

  Argues that the welfare benefits offer 'perverse incentives'. That is they reward the irresponsible or anti social behaviour of some people in society. For eg: if fathers see that the state will maintain their children, some of them will abandon their resbonsibilities towards the family.

  • growth of single parents encouraged by generous benefits means more boys grow up withour a male role model. Believed to be responsible for the growing crime rate among young males -> leads to the dependancy culture
• What do the new right believe are the solutions to some social policies?

  Cuts are needed in benefits and tighter restrictions on who is elegible = 'mean testing' benefits (testing if people need benefits)

  • Cutting benefits means that taxes could be reduced, giving fathers an incentive to work as they would see that they were better off than living on benefits
  • Denying council houses to unmarried teenage mothers would remove at least one incentive to become pregnant when very young
• The new right also advocates policies to support the traditional nuclear family such as;

  • married persons tax allowance that favour married rather than cohabiting couples
  • Child support agency whose main roles is to track down and make absent fathers financially responsible for their children
• Evaluation of New right views

  • feminists argue that it is an attempt to justify a return to the traditional patriarchal nuclear family that subordibated women to men and confined them to a domestic role.
  • it wrongly assumes that the nuclear family is natural rather than socially constructed.
  • Abott and Wallace argue that cutting benefits would simply drive the poor into greater poverty and make them even less self reliant
  • New Right ignore many policies that support and maintain conventional nuclear family rather than undermine it.
• (New right influences on policy) What policies did the Conservative Gov (1979-1997) introduce that support New Right ideas?

  • Banned promotion of homosexuality by local authorities
  • Banned teaching on homosexuality as acceptable
  • Defined divorce as a social problem
  • Enforced parental resbonsibilities after divorce
  • Set up Child Support Agency (CSA) to make sure absent parents enforce maintenance payments
• (New right influences on policy) What policies did the Conservative Gov (1979-1997) introduce that reject New Right ideas?

  • Making divorce easier
  • Giving illegitimate children same right as legitimate ones
• (New right influences on policy) What policies did the New Labour Party (1997-2010) introduce that support New Right ideas?

  • Cut benefits to some lone parents
  • Working family tax credits
• (New right influences on policy) What policies did the New Labour Party (1997-2010) introduce that reject New Right ideas?

  • Right to adopt if youre gay or unmarried couple
  • Re-distributing income to the poor through higher benefits
• (New right influences on policy) What policies did the Con-Dem (2010-2015) introduce that support New Right ideas?

  • cutting public services
  • tax benefits to married couples
• (New right influences on policy) What policies did the Con-Dem (2010-2015) introduce that reject New Right ideas?

  • gay marriage
  • living wage
  • means testing child benefits
• (New right influences on policy) What policies did the Conservative Policy (2015-2024) introduce that support families?

  • Childcare Expansion - double free childcare entitlement for working parents of 3-4 yo
  • Family Hubs Initiative- offering services like breastfeeding support, early learning interventions, relationship support and youth services in every local authority area
  • Support for Kinship care and adoption- keeping families together when its in the childs best interest through a kinship care strategy
• (Feminist Views) What do feminists view about social policy?

  Argues that it is shaped around a dominant family ideology. This refers to a set of ideas, beliefs and images about the family life, structure, and relationships. It has been called 'cereal packet family', the family portrayed on a cereal packet.

  They argue that society is patriarchal and the state help maintain women's subordinate position and the unequal gender division of labour within the family achieved through policies that assumes the 'ideal' family is nuclear
• (policies feminists argue that support the patriarchal nuclear family) Tax and Benefits

  they may assume that husbands are the main wage-earners and that wives are their financial dependants. This can make it impossible for wives to claim social security benefits in their own right, since it is expected that their husbands will provide. This then reinforces women's dependence on their husbands
• (policies feminists argue that support the patriarchal nuclear family) Childcare

  While the government pays for some childcare for pre-school children, this is not enough to permit parents to work full-time unless they can meet the additional costs themselves. Likewise, policies governing school timetables and holidays make it hard for parents (usually the mothers) to work full-time unless they can afford extra childcare. This means that women are restricted from working and placed in a position of economic dependence on their partners.
• (policies feminists argue that support the patriarchal nuclear family) Care for the sick and elderly

  Government policies often assume that the family will provide this care. In general, this means it is middle-aged women who are expected to do the caring. In turn, this often prevents them from working full-time, increasing their economic dependence on their partners.