Social policy

• China’s one child policy- 1970s to 2015- women had to seek permission to become pregnant. Couples who complied with the policy got free child healthcare, higher tax allowances and their child for priority in education and housing later in life. Couples who broke the policy had to pay a fine. in 2015, a two child policy was introduced and by 2021, a 3 child policy. Caused a demographic imbalance more men than women
• Nazi family policy 1930s- encourage racially pure to breed for the “master race”. 375K disabled people sterilised, divorce and abortion made more difficult- restricted access to contraception sight to keep women out of work and in the kitchen
• Communist Romania- drive up birth rate by making childless and unmarried couples pay 5% more tax and marriage age dropped to 15
• Functionalists- See policies as being good for all- Fletcher- policies in health and education is leading to development of welfare state NHS supports the family to perform its functions better like taking better care of members while they are sick
• Criticisms of functionalism- assumes all members benefit equally- Marxists reject “march of progress view” where familt gets better due to welfare cuts for poor families
• Donzelot- policing the family- policies are a form of state control over families- surveillance not equal as poor families more likely to be blamed for crime. Social workers will use their knowledge to control the family
• New right- social policies cause a dependency culture: laws making divorce easier undermine marriage and gay marriage (2014) undermines heterosexuality as superior.
• Charles Murray- welfare awarded for deviant behaviour like free council house for teenage mothers and if fathers know state will pay for their kids, more likely to abandon them
• New labour- 1997-2010: reflects NR parenting orders for parents of young offenders but also differs from NR with longer maternity and working families tax credit and supports family diversity.
• Conservative 1979- 1997 Thatcher: reflects NR banned promotion of homosexuality in schools and Child support agency 1993 making absent parents pay for kids
• Coalition and conservative from 2010: legalised gay marriage, policies that benefit neo conventional families (Chester) but traditional families actually pay more tax
• Feminists- polices support patriarchy: LEONARD some policies look like they are benefitting women but also benefit men such as more maternity leave- over paternity assumes child is only woman’s responsibility
• Evaluations of feminist: not all policies oppress women- equal pay act 2020 and rape in marriage made a crime in 1991
• Evaluations of New right: functionalist- welfare state supports people so they can perform functions better and ignores the policies that do benefit the nuclear family