Examples family policy

• Divorce Reform Act 1969

  Widened the grounds for divorce to include irretrievable breakdown (rather than just adultery).

  A key reason for the increase in divorce.
• Civil Partnership Act 2004

  Gave same-sex couples rights and responsibilities identical to civil marriage.

  Civil partners are entitled:

  - same property rights as married opposite-sex couples,

  - same exemption as married couples on inheritance tax,

  - social security and pension benefits,

  - and also the ability to get parental responsibility for a partner's children.
• Compulsory Education Laws


  Laws requiring parents to send their children to school
• Equal Pay Act 1965


  Law that requires that men and women be paid the same amount for doing the same job
• Welfare Benefits


  Money the state gives to the unemployed, single parents, disabled people and the elderly
• maternity pay


  Money paid by an employer to a woman who has temporarily left her job to have a baby.

  - £145.18 a week or 90% of your average weekly earnings (whichever is less) for 39 weeks.
• Paternity pay

  Money paid by an employer to a man who has recently become a father

  - 2 weeks

  - The statutory weekly rate of Paternity Pay is £145.18, or 90% of your average weekly earnings (whichever is lower).
• Child benefits

  Regular income received once a month from the government if you have children under the age of 18
• Pensions

  A fixed amount of money paid to a retired person by a government or former employer

  - The full basic State Pension you can get is £164.35 per week. You need 35 qualifying years of National Insurance contributions to get the full amount.