Sociology - Families and Households

The Children Act (1989)

- Clearly outlined the rights of children and safeguarded them from harm.

The Child Support Agency (1993)

- Established to ensure absent fathers paid maintenance for raising their children
- Meant that money to support lone families was coming from absent parents as opposed to the government.

Section 28 (1988)

- Prevented local government from promoting homosexuality
- Schools could not teach "the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship"
- Government attempt to promote the nuclear family by attacking an alternative structure
- Was removed in 2003

Proposed changes to divorce (1980s)

- Aimed to make divorce more difficult
- Planned to introduce an enforced year long period between separation and divorce
- The plans were NOT put into action due to the large opposition and that it was too difficult to enforce

Child Tax Credit Policy (2003)

- The amount of children you had reduced the amount of tax that you pay slightly
- Was reduced in 2017

Paid Paternity Leave (2003)

- Men were able to get two weeks of paid paternal leave

Adoption and Children Act (2002)

- Allowed same-sex couples to adopt children

Civil Partnership Act (2005)

- Allowed same-sex relationships to be legally recognised on the same terms as marriage

Abortion Act (1967)

- Legalised abortion in the UK and made it available through the NHS

Sexual Offences Act (1967)

- Partially decriminalised homosexuality
- Set the age of consent for homosexual relationships at 21

Divorce Reform Act (1969)

- Reduced the previously high cost of divorce
- Made it easier to get a divorce

Equal Pay Act (1970)

- Made it illegal for employers to pay women less than men employed in the same jobs
- Encouraged mothers to enter the workforce in large numbers

Sex Discrimination Act (1975)

- Outlawed discrimination against women by employers in the workplace

Availability of the Contraceptive Pill (1961)

- First became available to married women in 1961 via the NHS

Removal of the so-called couples' penalty

- Done to prevent the benefits system from including a 'perverse incentive' for couples to break up to receive more benefits

Troubled Families Programme [TFP] (2012)

- Identified 120,000 households involved in crime, anti-social behaviour etc
- Aimed to get these families into work or education

Proposed Dementia Tax

- Would have forced elderly people who have assets worth over £100,000 to pay for any social care that they receive
- Previously, unless you had more than £23,000 in your bank, you would be entitled to free social care

Child Tax Credit Restrictions (2017)

- Child Tax Credits were restricted to be only available for two children
- Some argue it is to prevent people with low incomes from having more children

Free School Meals (During the Covid Pandemic)

- Supplied food to children whose parents earned a certain amount of money

Equal Marriage Act (2013/14)

- 9 years after the Civil Partnerships Act
- Introduced same-sex marriage

Shared Parental Leave

- Made the length of Parental leave equal for both men and women

Married couple's tax allowance

- Includes a tax allowance for married couples with only one member that pays tax
- Applies to all married couples regardless of gender and sexual orientation
- Applies to Civil Partnerships
- Doesn't matter which member of the family is the 'breadwinner', so it doesn't assume a traditional housewife role