Feminist perspective on families and the application of this to social policy

Land (1978)

• Social policies assume ideal family is pat. nuc. family

• ‘Norm’ affects type of policies and therefore the effect of policies

  • E.g. reinforcing the idea that one family type is better than others

Leach (1967) - self-fulfilling prophecy

• State assumes norm family is based on marriage

  • Tax incentives are given to married couples but not cohabiting ones

    • Makes it difficult for families to live in family types other than the ones policies assume they live in

      • Encourages marriage, discourages cohabitation

Leach (19670 - cereal packet family

• Perfect

• Happy

• 1 man, 1 woman, 2 children

6 positive current social policies that challenge trad. family and improve the position of women in families and wider society

1. Equal pay and discrimination laws

2. Lesbian marriage rights

3. Single parent benefits

4. Refuges for women escaping DV

5. Divorce rights

6. 1991 - rape with a marriage criminal offence

Drew (1995) - social policy by country

• Social policies vary by country and either en or discourage gender equality in the family/workplace

Drew (1995) - 2 types of gender regime

1. Familialistic

2. Individualistic

Drew (1995) - familialistic gender regime

• Policies based on trad gender division

• E.g. 🇬🇷

  • Little state welfare or publicly funded childcare

    • Causes heavy reliance on extended kin

Drew (1995) - individualistic gender regime

• Policies treat couples equally

• Women less dependent on men due to

  • Equal opportunity policies

  • State-funded childcare

  • Parental leave

  • Good welfare

• E.g. 🇸🇪

• Most EU countries moving towards an IGR and therefore towards greater equality

Drew (1995) - issues with publicly funded childcare

• Not cheap!

  • Who should pay, who should benefit?

• No MoP for gender equality

2008 global recession - impact on women

• Spending cuts → pressure on women to care

• Led to a trend towards NR welfare policies

  • Encourage families to use each other, not the state

Leonard 1978 — role of social policies

• Appear to benefit women but reinforce patriarchal family

Tax and benefits

• Assume husband breadwinner and wife financially dependent

• Difficult for wives to claim social security benefits since expected that husbands will provide

  • Reinforces women’s dependence on husbands

Childcare

• Govt pays for some childcare for pre-school children but not enough to allow parents to work full-time without paying additional costs themselves

• Policies regarding school timetables and holidays make it hard for parents (usually mothers) to work full time without extra childcare

  • Women restricted from working, placed in position of economic dependence on partners, reinforcing traditional gender roles

Care for sick and elderly

• Govt policies assume care for sick and elderly provided by family

  • Middle-aged women expected to provide this care, preventing them from working full time and increasing their economic dependence on their partners

Maternity leave

• Mat leave appears to benefit women but reinforces patriarchy

  • Mat leave more generous than pat leave which encourages assumption that care of infants is responsibility of mothers, not fathers

    • Mat benefits low, increasing mother’s economic dependence on partners

Child benefit

• Normally paid to mother

• Gives source of income that isn’t dependent on partner :)

• Assumes child’s welfare primarily her responsibility :(

Importance of social policies

• Creates and maintains patriarchal roles and relationships assumed to be the norm

• Makes it easier for women to take responsibility for care of infants and assumes men main economic provider