Impacts on family structures

• Types of policies

  • Direct = policies that promote / reject certain household structures e.g tax allowance for married couples
  • Indirect = policies may not have intended to impact structures but once implemented had an impact, e.g equal pay act
• Increased divorce

  • Increase in breakdown of family, e.g lone parent households
  • Welfare state = parents get greater financial support for looking after children
• Increased cohabitation and delayed marriage

  • Career aspirations for women
  • Availability of contraception
• Same sex families

  • Decriminalisation of homosexuality
  • Legalisation of adoption in same sex families
• Lone parent families

  Welfare state provide protection yet accused of welfare dependency