Social Policy and the Family

What does the term social policy mean?

Social policy refers to the plans and actions of state agencies, such as healthcare and social services, the welfare benefits system, schools and other public bodies.

Two examples of historic regimes and their family social policies

1: China’s one-child policy- couples who comply with the policy get extra benefits - free child healthcare and higher tax allowances.

2: Nazi family policy- eugenics- the Master race

Sociological Perspectives on Family Policy

The various sociological theories on family policy are: Functionalism, New Right, Feminism, Poststructuralism (Donzelot), Marxism and Social Democrats.

Functionalism- Fletcher

Policies help families perform their functions better e.g.

Health visitors (for children aged 0-5) can help with primary socialisation.

Benefits and introduction of free childcare can help meet economic needs.

The introduction of the NHS can help care for sick relatives.

The NHS also shows that:

Policies have replaced a function that the family used to perform, allowing it to specialise in performing fewer functions better. Policies have an indirect effect or unintended consequences (the NHS was not created to reduce burden on families but had this effect).

Evaluation of Functionalism on family policy

It assumes that all members of the family benefit equally from social policies, whereas feminists for example argue that policies often benefit men at the expense of women.

The New Right- Murray

They favour conventional family- the nuclear family. They see this as successfully socialising children and naturally self-reliant.

Approve of policies that:

Help families be independent and self-reliant. E.g Child Maintenance Service organises payments if one parent doesn’t live with a child and tries to find absent parents. Promotes the idea that the govt shouldn’t pay for the upkeep of children.

Promote marriage and the nuclear family. E.g Married Couples Tax Allowance is worth about £252 a year (civil partners also entitled to this). They disapprove that they think encourage a dependency culture because this leads to social problems. E.g benefits for single parents has led to an increase in crime in the underclass.

Evaluation of the New Right on Family Policy

Feminists argue that it is an attempt to justify a return to the traditional patriarchal family that subordinated women to men and confined them to the domestic role.

Feminism

They argue that all social institutions, including the state and its policies, help to maintain women’s subordinate position and the unequal division of labour in the family.

• Land argues that many social policies assume that the ideal family is the patriarchal nuclear family, this makes it more difficult for people to live in other family types. Feminists identify numerous examples of policies that support the patriarchal nuclear family and women’s economic dependence on men.

• Tax benefits policies: they assume that husbands are the main wage earners and that wives are their financial dependents.

• Childcare policies: governing school timetables make it hard for parents (mothers) to work full time: making women economically dependent on their husbands.

Feminist view on social policy

Professor Eileen Drew uses the concept of ‘gender regimes’ to describe whether a country’s policies work to create gender equality or hinder it.

1: Famalistic gender regimes- policies are based on a traditional gender division of labour between male breadwinner (instrumental role and female housewife (expressive role). For example, school finishing at 3pm and long school holidays assume that there is a parent not working full-time (the mother).

2: Individualistic gender regimes- policies are based on the idea that parents/partners should be treated the same. For example, in Sweden each parent is entitled to 240 days paid childcare leave so it is equal between fathers and mothers, e.g, shared parental leave.

Evaluation of the feminist view on social policy

Sex discrimination and equal pay laws do not maintain patriarchy. Rape within marriage was made illegal in 1991- these policies improve the position of women in the family and in society.

Post structuralism (Donzelot)

Donzelot has a conflict view of society and he sees policy as a form of state control over families. He looks at how professionals carry out surveillance of families. He argues that social workers, health visitors and doctors use their knowledge to control and change families.

Professionals such as social workers, health visitors and doctors use surveillance to control and change families, he calls this the policing of families. E.g Parenting Orders: parents forced to attend classes to learn how to bring up their children if the children break the law or behave badly. E.g parents are fined for taking children out of school at term time.

Evaluation of Post structuralism

Marxists argue that social policies generally operate in the interests of the capitalist class, while feminists argue that men are the main beneficiaries.

Marxist view on family policy

Social policies support capitalism not families/individuals for e.g. the NHS maintains health so that people can be productive workers. Women act as a reserve army of labour.

Policies can perform an ideological function- they give capitalism a caring face to give the impression that the government works in the interests of ordinary working class people.

State pension payment is low (full rate in 2025 is £221 per week but many get lower than this)- pensioners are no longer of use to capitalism as they don’t work so they are maintained at minimum cost.

Social Democrats

Their view on social policy is that we should have universal benefits for all, which ensures that every individual has a safety net to fall back on. They advocate for social policies that prioritise social justice, economic equality and a strong welfare state.

Evaluation of Social Democrats

Economic efficiency and sustainability- critics of social democratic policies often argue that a comprehensive welfare state can be financially unsustainable. They argue that too much reliance on state welfare can hinder economic growth and innovation.

Examples of feminist social policies in Britain

Introduced law making divorce easier (1969,2021), longer maternity leave, and paid paternity leave for 2 weeks. Childcare Act (2006)- requires local councils to make sure there are enough child care places. 2015- Shared Parental leave- mothers and fathers can share their time off work. Free part time childcare for the most disadvantaged 20% of 2 year olds.

Examples of New Right social policies in Britain

Stricter immigration rules- a British citizen can only bring their foreign wife/husband to the UK if they earn more than £18,600. Cuts to Sure Start centres funding an child benefit withdrawn for third or additional children.

Examples of Social Democratic social policies in Britain

The New Deal- £5 billion funded scheme to offer training, education and employment for the unemployed, especially the youth unemployed. Introduced law giving more rights to children born outside of marriage.