The Family & Social Policy

• FLETCHER (FUNCTIONALISM)


  Fletcher states that the introduction of health, education and housing policies in the years since the industrial revolution has gradually led to the development of the welfare state that supports the family in performing its functions more effectively (eg. the introduction of the NHS means that families can take better care of sick members when they are ill).
• Donzelot


  Donzelot theorised ‘The policing of families’: social workers, doctors and health visitors use their knowledge to control and gain families. Surveillance is not targeted equally on all social classes; ‘poor’ families are more likely to be seen as ‘problem’ families and the cause of all crime and anti-social behaviour. Donzelot rejects the functionalist view and in turn, argues that social policy is a form of state control of the family.
• Murray (New right)


  Murray argues that the state is providing overly generous welfare benefits. This is because these policies offer ‘perverse incentives’, meaning that the state rewards people for irresponsible or antisocial behaviour.
• LEONARD (FEMINISM)


  Leonard argues that even where policies seem to support women (eg. childcare so the woman can go to work), they still reinforce the patriarchal family and act as a form of social control over women. For example, although maternity leave policies benefit women, it reinforces patriarchy, because the terms of paternity leave are less generous, implying that women are the natural carers.
• Familistic gender regimes


  • Policies based on traditional gender divisions between males and females
  • Minimal state funding for childcare (e.g. Greece)
• Individualistic gender regimes


  • Policies based on belief that husbands and wives should be treated the same
  • Wives not dependent on husband, each partner has separate entitlement to state benefits
  • Policies treat husbands and wives as equally responsible for breadwinning and domestic tasks (e.g. Sweden)
• In a nutshell


  Social policy can have a big impact on families. International examples with huge impact include China’s one child policy and Nazi Germany’s policies. In the UK, some sociologists believe social policy can be used to help families, however others believe it is there to oppress them.