Social Policies
Calvert + Calvert (1992):
Define as way in which government at the time directs economic resources to meet specific social needs
Education:
Education Maintenance Allowance - effects working class, help keep children in school
Staying in school until 18 - equals family class, increase cost
Family planning:
Abortion 1967 - declining family size
Contraception - declining family size
Marriage and Divorce:
Monogamy - increase nuclear families
Civil Partnership Act 2004 - family diversity increases
Divorce becomes legal - decrease nuclear, increase single/reconstituted
Welfare State:
Maternity leave - gender role stereotypes enforced
Child Benefit - increase number of children potentially, close class gap, no child poverty
Housing:
Council Housing - no family homeless
Define as way in which government at the time directs economic resources to meet specific social needs
Education:
Education Maintenance Allowance - effects working class, help keep children in school
Staying in school until 18 - equals family class, increase cost
Family planning:
Abortion 1967 - declining family size
Contraception - declining family size
Marriage and Divorce:
Monogamy - increase nuclear families
Civil Partnership Act 2004 - family diversity increases
Divorce becomes legal - decrease nuclear, increase single/reconstituted
Welfare State:
Maternity leave - gender role stereotypes enforced
Child Benefit - increase number of children potentially, close class gap, no child poverty
Housing:
Council Housing - no family homeless
Theorists
Donzelot (1977):
“Policing of families”
Government policy states power over family
Social workers, health workers, doctors use knowledge to control/change families
Surveillance not targeted equally
Land (1978):
Social policy assumes ideal family is the patriarchal nuclear family
Difficult for other family types to receive change/improvement
Leonard (1978):
Even when supporting women, may still reinforce patriarchal family
Form of social control over women eg maternity leave, courts favouring women, child benefit only paid to mothers
Cashmore (1985):
Working class mothers choose benefits because experience abuse
Stacey (1998):
Greater choice benefited women
Free themselves from patriarchal oppression and shape family arrangements to meet their needs
Condry (2007):
State seeks to control/regulate family life
Imposing compulsory parenting orders through courts
“Policing of families”
Government policy states power over family
Social workers, health workers, doctors use knowledge to control/change families
Surveillance not targeted equally
Land (1978):
Social policy assumes ideal family is the patriarchal nuclear family
Difficult for other family types to receive change/improvement
Leonard (1978):
Even when supporting women, may still reinforce patriarchal family
Form of social control over women eg maternity leave, courts favouring women, child benefit only paid to mothers
Cashmore (1985):
Working class mothers choose benefits because experience abuse
Stacey (1998):
Greater choice benefited women
Free themselves from patriarchal oppression and shape family arrangements to meet their needs
Condry (2007):
State seeks to control/regulate family life
Imposing compulsory parenting orders through courts