Perspectives

Functionalist PerspectiveKey Ideas

• Society is based on harmony and consensus.

• The state acts in the interests of all and policies benefit everyone.

• Social policies help families perform functions more effectively.

Example: Fletcher (1966)

• Welfare policies (health, education, housing) support family roles.

• NHS helps families care for sick members.

Criticisms

• Assumes all family members benefit equally (feminists argue men benefit more).

• Assumes a ‘march of progress’ (Marxists argue some policies reverse progress).

Donzelot: Surveillance and Control Conflict View

• Social policy is a form of state power over families.

• Influenced by Foucault’s concept of surveillance.

Policing of Families

• Professionals (e.g. doctors, social workers) use knowledge to control families.

• Poor families are more likely to be targeted as ‘problem families’.

Example: Condry (2007)

• Parenting Orders used to regulate family life.

Criticisms

• Rejects functionalist idea of progress.

• Marxists: policies benefit capitalism.

• Feminists: policies reinforce male power.

The New Right PerspectiveCore Beliefs

• Supports the traditional nuclear family (married, heterosexual, male breadwinner).

• Sees family diversity as a threat to social stability.

Almond (2006)

• Divorce laws undermine lifelong marriage.

• Civil partnerships and same-sex marriage challenge heterosexual norms.

• Tax laws disadvantage single-earner families.

• Cohabiting couples given similar rights to married ones.

Welfare and Dependency Culture (Murray)Critique of Welfare

• Welfare encourages deviant family types (e.g. lone parents).

• Creates ‘perverse incentives’:

  • Fathers abandon children.

  • Teenage pregnancies increase.

  • Boys lack male role models → crime.

New Right Solutions

• Cut welfare spending.

• Restrict council housing for unmarried mothers.

• Support nuclear families through tax incentives.

• Encourage self-reliance and reduce state interference.

Evaluation of the New RightCriticisms

• Feminists: promotes patriarchal family and domestic roles for women.

• Assumes nuclear family is ‘natural’ (socially constructed).

• Abbott and Wallace (1992): cutting benefits worsens poverty.

• Ignores policies that support nuclear families.

Influence on PolicyConservative Government (1979–97)

• Banned promotion of homosexuality.

• Defined divorce as a social problem.

• Created Child Support Agency.

• Also introduced policies opposed by New Right (e.g. easier divorce, equal rights for illegitimate children).

New Labour (1997–2010)Similarities with New Right

• Marriage seen as best environment for children.

• Parenting Orders introduced to enforce responsibility.

Differences

• Supported dual-earner families (Chester’s neo-conventional model).

• Policies included:

  • Longer maternity leave and unpaid parental leave.

  • Working Families Tax Credit.

  • New Deal for lone parents.

Support for Diversity

• Civil partnerships for same-sex couples.

• Equal adoption rights for unmarried couples.

• Anti-discrimination laws on sexuality.

Coalition Government (2010–2015)Internal Division

• Modernisers: accept family diversity.

• Traditionalists: reject diversity, support New Right ideals.

Mixed Policy Record

• Introduced gay marriage (opposed by traditionalists).

• Austerity policies cut public spending.

• Browne (2012): two-parent families hit hardest by tax and benefit changes.

Feminist PerspectiveConflict View

• Society is patriarchal and benefits men.

• State policies reinforce gender inequality and domestic roles.

Policy as Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

• Policies assume nuclear family is ‘normal’.

• Land (1978): policies reflect male breadwinner/female homemaker model.