T7; FAMILY + SOCIAL POLICIES - PERSPECTIVES ON FAMILY + SOCIAL POLICY // FUNCTIONALISTS

What do functionalists see society as built on? In turn, what do they see the state and its policies as?

• harmony + consensus

• state = acts in interests of society, policies = good for all, helping family perform their functions (consensus view of policy benefitting family)

what does FLETCHER argue using the example of the NHS?

• argues intro of edu, health + housing policies since industrial revolution has led to development of welfare state that supps fam functions

• e.g NHS → help of docs, nurses etc. family today = better able to take care of family when sick

What are the two ways functionalism has been criticised?

• Marxist

• feminist

• assumes MOP; Marxists say reverse progress e.g by cutting welfare benefits to poor families

• assumes all members of family equally benefit from social policies; feminists = men benefit the most at expense of women

Unlike functionalist’s consensus view, who offers a unique conflict perspective, particularly that of society being full of policies as a form of state power + control over families?

DONZELOT

what is DONZELOT interested in? what does he argue referring to it as ‘POLICING OF THE FAMILY’?

• how professionals carry out surveillance of fams

• argues social workers, health visitors + doctors use knowledge to control families referred to as ‘POLICING OF FAMILIES’

how does DONZELOT investigate his interests and arguments using other’s ideas?

• uses concept of surveillance by FOUCAULT

  • sees power not just held by gov but diffused throughout society and found within all relationships

  • sees professionals like doctors + social workers = exercising power over clients by using expert knowledge to turn them into cases to be dealt with

• applies these ideas to the family

What does DONZELOT say about the degree of surveillance?

• not targeted equally on all social classes e.g poor fams = ‘problem’ fams cause for crime + anti-social behaviour, professionals target for improvement

what examples of unequal targeting by professionals for improvement does CONDRY highlight?

• state may seek to control/regulate fam life by imposing compulsory parenting orders through courts

• Parents of young offenders, truants + badly behaved = maybe forced to attend parenting classes to learn correct way of upbringing

what view does DONZELOT reject an instead see social policy as a form of state control of the family?

• MOP view of functionalists; social policies + proffs who carry it out → created a better, freer + more human society

By focusing on micro-level of how ‘caring’ professionals act as agents of social control through their surveillance of the family, what does DONZELOT highlight?

• the importance of professional knowledge as a form of power and control

what do Marxists + feminists criticise DONZELOT for?

• failing to identify clearly who benefits from policies of surveillance e.g capitalism, men