sociology: social policy

• what are conservative policies on the family? 1979 - 1997


  favoured NF

  
  

  benefits should be cut as encourage LPF

  
  

  1 yr waiting period for divorce _ avoid breaking up NF

  
  

  CSA made absent fathers pay child support in hope would encouraged to remain in family

  
  

  John major held virtues of trad family values in back to basics campaign

  
  

  banned
• what is social policy?


  plans and actions of the gov agencies e.gf. health and social service, the welfare benefit system. schools + other public bodies.
• what are policies usually based on?


  laws providing framework which social services, health care services + ed system operate. Also informed by certain ways of thinking + different perspectives have different views on social policy. political parties differ in views on social policy.
• what is china's one child policy?

  a law the government has implemented to control families to reduce population growth. gov implement policy by giving tax, healthcare + education benefits to single child families.
• what is the Romanian Govs policy on increasing population size?

  the gov restricted pals access to contraception and abortion, made divorce difficult and lowered legal age of marriage to 15. childless couples had to pay 5% extra income tax.
• what are the functionalist views on social policy?

  society built on harmony + consensus + free from major conflicts. State acting in interests of society as + social policies good for all. Funcs see policies as helping families perform functions more effectively + make life better for all members.
• what does fletcher argue about social policy? (func)


  Intro of health, ed + housing policies in years since Industrial Revolution gradually led to welfare state supporting family performing functions more effectively. NHS w/ help of doctors, nurses, hospitals + medicines family better able care for members.
• evaluation of the functionalist view on social policy

  assumes all members of society benefit equally from policy - feminist say some benefit men over women.

  
  

  assumes 'march of progress' in that polices make life better for everyone - cutting benefits to poor haven't done this
• what does donzelot argue about policing the family?

  conflict view - policy form of power + control over families, agree w/ Foucault that professionals e.g. dotes + social workers exercise power over clients by using expert knowledge to turn them in to cases to be dealt w/ - 'policing of the family
• what are poor families more likely to be?

  targeted by surveillance and seen as problem families as cause of crime and anti social behaviour. professional target these families for improvement.
• what does donzelot reject?

  func view of 'march for progress' - that social policy + professionals who carry it out created better, free/more humane society. Policy form of state control over family.
• what are an example of these polices?

  parents being given parenting orders - which parents of young offenders forced attend parenting classes to learn correct way of bringing up children
• what are marxist + feminist criticisms of donzelot?


  failing to identify who benefits from polices

  
  

  marxists -argue R.C. benefit from policing poorer families more

  
  

  feminists - argue men benefit policing families as women is primary career
• what rare marxist views on social policy?

  Marxist see the state + its policies as serving capitalism e..g see lower level of state pension as evidence workers too old to produce profits and maintained at lowest possible cost. don't argue steady march of progress towards better welfare policies
• what are some policies on families come about for needs of capitalism according to marxists?

  e.g. WW2- male workers war so women reverse army of labour to fill jobs men left. gov step 1450 nurseries for children of working mothers. when men retuned nurseries were closed. many no longer work.
• what are there new right views on social policy?


  see trad NF with division of labour between male provider + female homemaker as best family type as are self reliant + capable of taking of members. Social policy should avoid doing anything to undermine the natural self-relaint family
• what is the new right few on. family diversity?


  changes led to greater family diversify e.g increase in divorce, cohab, gay partnerships and LPF's threaten the NF and prude social issues e.g crime + welfare dependency as changes undermine the NF.
• what are the issue that Lamond argues have undermined the NF?

  - laws making divorce easier

  - intro of civil partnerships + gay marriage

  - tax laws
• how does laws that make divorce easier undermine the NF? almond

  undermine the udder of marriage as a lifelong commitment between man + woman
• how does the intro of civil partnerships and gay marriage undermine the NF? almond


  sends message that state no longer sees heterosexual marriage as the superior domestic set up to gay marriage
• how do tax laws undermine the NF? almond


  discriminate NF w/ sole male breadwinner - married couples pay more tax
• what does the NR view also argue about marriage and the states view of it?


  increased rights on married cohabs egg adoption right + succession to council house tenancies and pension rights when partner dies makes cohab and marriage more similar - send signal state doesn't see marriage as special.
• what are the solutions to these problems according top NR?

  policy must be changed w/ cuts in welfare spending and tighter restrictions on those eligible for benefits. this would mean reduction in dependent underclass + teenage pregnancies, breadwinner.
• what would denying council housing to unmarried teenage mothers do according to NR?

  make them dependent on money they earn and then increase marriage + decrease birth rates
• what are feminist views on social policy?

  conflict view. argue social institutors inc state + policies maintain sub position of women + unequal gender division in family. state assumes NF based on marriage + offers tax incentives to married couples not to cohab couples, encourage marriage not cohab. makes difficult for ppl live in family types other than 1 policy makers assume live in.
• what does Land argue about policy? feminist

  argues social policies assume ideal family is patriarchal NF
• what does Leach about policy? feminist

  calls 'cereal packet norm' because its the kind of family that appears in adverts for breakfasts cereals.
• what policies reinforce patriarchy in the family?

  tax + benefits

  childcare

  care for sick + elderly
• how do tax + benefits reinforce patriarchy in the family?

  assume husbands main wage earner + wives financially dependent. make impossible for wives claim social security in own right

  
  

  CSA - child support agency. child maintenance - father to mothers
• how does childcare reinforce patriarchy in the family?

  gov pay for some childcare for pre school children. not enough to permit parents to work full time unless meet additional cost themself. school timetable + holidays make it difficult for women work so financially dependent on partners.
• how does caring for the sick and elderly reinforce patriarchy in the family?

  gov policies assume family will prove this - middle aged women expected to provide care which means can't work
• according to Leonard how do policies that seem support women still reinforce the patriarchal family + act as form of social control?

  policies appear benefit women - reinforce patriarchy. maternity leave policies benefit women and reinforce patriarchy as assume own main caregiver + more generous than paternity. child benefit paid to mother.
• evaluation of feminists views on social policy affecting family?

  maternity + paternity leave shared between both man and woman
• what does Drew argue about gender regimes?

  uses concept to identify how social policies in different countries encourage or discourage gender equality:

  
  

  familistic

  individualistic
• what are familistic gender regimes?

  policies based on traditional gender division between male breadwinner + female caregiver. Greece - little welfare or publicly funded childcare + encourages trad division of labour
• what are individualistic gender regimes?

  policies based on husbands + wives should be treated same. Sweden - equal opp policies, state provision of childcare, parental leave + good quality welfare services mean women less dependent on husbands + have more opps to work
• what is Drew's closing argument?

  most European countries moving towards gender equality in family roles + relationships. Naive assume inevitable march of progress towards gender equality, bc policies e.g. publicly funded childcare don't come cheap + involve major conflicts about who should pay.
• what are conservative gov views on family and policies? 1979 - 1997

  favoured Nf

  
  

  stated benefits should be cut as encourage LPF

  
  

  1 yr waiting period for divorce + avoid breaking up NF

  
  

  CSA made absent fathers pay child support in hope would be encouraged to remain in family

  
  

  John major held virtues of trad family values in back to basics campaign

  
  

  banned promotion of homosexuality in 80's - section 28
• what are new labour gov views on family and policies? 1997 - 2010


  working tax creds enhance income for LPF - top up, low incomes.

  
  

  gov favoured family diversity but believes NF bedrock of society

  
  

  intro civil partnership act give legal right to gay couples

  
  

  adoption act allows single + gay people to adopt child

  
  

  gov intro childcare schemes such as 'sure start' to provide help for low income LPF's
• what are the coalition gov views on family and policies? 2010-2015


  children back to school

  reduce youth care

  adults career opp

  join w/ social services

  dealing w/ family's problems

  support families + challenge poor behaviour