Social policy

• What is social policy?


  Plans and actions of government agencies

  based on laws that provide framework within agencies operate
• functionalist view on policy


  positive as helps families perform functions more effectively.

  nuclear family policies favour more
• Fletcher (functionalist)


  policies such as free NHS, compulsory education and housing policies all help families take better care of members
• Marxist view of policy


  negative as they support capitalism (ideological)

  low level of state pension mean they’re maintained at the lowest possible cost.

  minimum wage - capitalism has a ‘friendly face’

  improvements made by class struggle
• Donzelot (Marxist)


  policy is a form of state control over families.

  (doctors, teachers etc. use knowledge to control and change families)
• Althusser (Marxist)


  ideological state apparatus

  appear to benefit wc, instead they try to convince them that society is fair
• feminist view of policy


  > policies such as child benefit, custody laws and maternity leave suggest childcare is the womans role

  > childcare and schooling means women are prevented from working full time

  > liberal - legislation change enables gender equality (equality act 2010)
• Firestone (radical feminist)


  Policies assume family is patriarchal with a male provider and female homemaker
• New right view of policy 


  family should be heterosexual (nuclear)

  > other types are deviant and a threat to society; creates welfare dependency + ‘benefit scroungers’ > underclass

  Less the gov interferes, the better.

  policies: child support agency, community care, marriage tax breaks, clause 28
• Murray (new right)


  benefits/council housing encourages dysfunctional family types, a ‘perverse incentive’, rewarding irresponsible/anti-social behaviour
• Dennis and Erdos (new right)


  fartherless families, boys grow up without a male role model so don’t learn how to be effective fathers

  > cycle of inadequate socialisation
• New Labour view of policy


  nuclear is ideal but other types can work.

  policies support all types: maternity leave increased time, paternity leave introduced, new deal helping singles return to employment, civil partnerships for same sex couples.
• Leach (criticism of new labour)


  the cereal packet family (nuclear) still at the forefront of policy
• Coalition view of policy


  > conservative + liberal democrat

  no consistent line

  introduced gay marriage and sharing of maternity leave

  mostly focused on austerity policies (cutting public spending)