T7; FAMILY + SOCIAL POLICIES - PERSPECTIVES ON FAMILY + SOCIAL POLICIES // FEMINISM

What view do feminists take? What do they see society as? What do they say all social institutions do?

• conflict

• patriarchal + benefits men at expense of women

• include policies that maintain women’s subordination + unequal gender DOL in family

Policies as self-fulfilling prophecies; what are policies often based on?

• assumptions about what the normal family is like

what does LAND argue about many social policies? how do they create a self-fulfilling prophecy?

• assume that the ideal family = patriarchal nuclear family with a male provider, female homemaker and dependent children

• norms affects the kind of policies governing fam life in turn the effects = reenforce particular type of family at expense of tother families creating a self-fulfilling prophecy

What is an example of a self-fulfilling prophecy?

• if the state where to assume norm fam = based on marriage → offer tax incentives to married couples that aren’t available to cohab

• in turn, policy encourage marriage and discourage cohab

• In effect, policies make it more difficult for people to live in other family types than the one policymakers assume they live in

what are some policies that support the patriarchal family and reenforce women’s economic dependence?

• t_ + b_____ policies → assumptions → impossible to claim … ; reenforces?

• tax and benefits policies → may assume that husbands = main wage-earners + wives = their financial dependants

  • this can make it impossible for wives to claim social security benefits in their own rights, since it’s expected for husbands to provide it

  • reenforces women’s dependence on men

what are some policies that support the patriarchal family and reenforce women’s economic dependence?

• how are women = restricted from working + placed in a position of economic dependence on their partners?

• childcare → gov pays for some childcare for pre-school children, not enough to permit parents to work full-time unless they can meet additional costs themselves e.g nanny

  • Likewise, policies governing school timetables, holidays → harder for parents (usually mother) to work full-time unless they can afford extra childcare

what are some policies that support the patriarchal family and reenforce women’s economic dependence?

• something that the gov policies assume the family will already provide for

• prevents women from…

• care for the sick and elderly → gov policies often assume family will provide for this care; in general middle-aged women = expected to fulfil that role

  • prevents from working full-time, increasing economic dependence on partner

what does LEONARD argue about supportive ‘feminist’ policies? give an example detailing the 2 aspects (encourages assumption…increases…)

• even when policies = seem supp women, may still reenforce the patriarchal family + act as a form of social control over women e.g

  • maternity leave policies benefit women but also reinforce patriarchy in the family

  • maternity leave entitlement > paternity in generosity → encourages assumption care of infants = responsibility of the mother v father

  • all in all, maternity benefits = low increasing mothers’ economic dependence on their partners

What is another example of a policy that both supports women and reenforces the patriarchal family acting as a form of social control over women?

• child benefit is normally paid to the mother

  • gives her a source of income that = not depend on father

  • but also assumes that the child’s welfare = primarily her responsibility

What do examples like maternity leave and child benefit highlight? In turn, summarise the feminist view of policies

• the importance of social polices in the social construction of family roles and relationships

• by making easier for women to take respons. of care over infants, assuming men = providers, social policies = create + maintain patriarchal roles + relationships they assume to be a norm (self-fulfilling)

how can the feminist view be criticised in regards to policies?

• list some policies that do not…

• 1991

• not all polices = directed at maintaining patriarchy e.g equal pay act, sex discrimination laws, the right for lesbians to marry (2014), benefits for lone parents, refuges for women escaping domestic violence + equal rights to divorce all could be said to challenge

• rape within marriage (marital rape) = criminal offense in 1991 ; policy that improve women position of women in the family + wider society

What concept does DREW use to illustrate the feminist argument of social policies as a means to reenforce the patriarchal family and comparative perspective?

• the concept of gender regimes to describe how social policies in different countries can either encourage/discourage gender equality in the family or at work

what 2 types of gender regimes following different family policies did DREW identify?

• w/ ex. of GREECE

• w/ ex. SWEDEN

• familisitic gender regimes → policies = based on trad DOL e.g in GREECE = little state welfare or publicly funded childcare; women = heavily rely on supp from extended kin within DOL

• individualistic gender regimes → policies based on belief husbands + wives = treat equally e.g in SWEDEN, policies treat both equally responsible for domestic + breadwinning. Equal opp policies, state provision of childcare, parental leave + good quality welfare services → women = less dependant + more opps for work

What does DREW say about most EU countries and their choice of gender regime?

• most individualistic gender regime, likely to bring move from trad patriarchal fam → gender equality in roles + relationships

Why is it naïve to assume inevitable MOP towards gender equality?

• However, to fund an increasingly popular individualistic gender regime policies e.g publicly funded childcare = not come cheap , involves conflicts of who should benefit from policies, who should pay for them?

what do feminists argue have led to pressure on women to take more responsibility for caring for family members as the state retreats from providing welfare? during this period, what was there a trend towards in regards to policies which highlights the idea of state vs market?

• the global recession in 2008 → cutbacks in gov spending throughout EU

• neo-liberal welfare policies, in which individuals = encouraged to use market rather than state to meet their needs e.g private pension provision + private care of the old

what can the differences between EU countries show about social policies?

• their important role in promoting or preventing gender equality in the family