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42 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Generalise functionalist view on society and the state. |
- Society is harmonious and has a value consensus, and it's free from major conflicts. - The state does what is best for society, and their policies are for the good of everyone. - The policies they set help families perform their functions better, having a positive effect on everyone. |
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What does the functionalist Fletcher (1966) say about the introduction of free government services? |
The introduction of health, education and housing policies after the industrial revolution, the welfare state has gradually supported the family effectively more and more. |
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What's the feminist criticism of the functionalist view on family and social policy? |
- Functionalists assume all members benefit from the policies. - In reality it's mainly men that benefit, at the expense of women. |
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What's the marxist criticism of the functionalist view on family and social policy? |
- Functionalists assume that there is gradual progress making life better. - However policies can reverse progress. - Example: Cutting welfare benefits for poor families. |
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What sociologist's do you look at when looking at the marxist perspective on family and social policies. |
1. Donzelot (1997) 2. Foucault (1976) 3. Condry (2007) |
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What do Marxists essentially think policies do? |
Assist the bourgeoise in controlling families. Policies are a form of power. |
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What is Foucault's (1976) concept of surveillance ? |
The idea that the power isn't held by the government but spread through society and found it all relationships. |
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How does Foucault's (1976) concept of surveillance apply to professionals? |
Professionals such as doctors and social workers. They use their expert knowledge to hold power over their clients. |
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How does Donzelot (1977) apply Foucault's (1976) concept of surveillance? |
He applies it to families. Professionals such as social workers, health visitors and doctors carry out surveillance of their clients, families. Then use their knowledge to control and change families. Donzelot calls this the polling of families. |
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What is the surveillance used for? |
Its used for improvement. However its unfair as it focus on poor families, as they are seen as a problem. As they cause more crime and so forth. |
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How does the state control and regulate family live according to Condry (2007)? |
By imposing compulsory parenting orders through courts. So that the parents are forced to bring up their children in a certain way. The orders could be given to parents of young offenders, children who truant, or are badly behaved. |
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Why does Donzelot reject the march of progress view that social policy creates a better society? |
He says that it doesn't create a better, freer or more humane society. This is because social policy is a form of state control on the family. It shows the importance of professional knowledge as a form of power and control. |
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Why do Marxists criticise Donzelot? |
Donzelot fails to realise that social policies only benefit the capitalist class. |
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Why do Feminists criticise Donzelot? |
Donzelot fails to realise that social ponies only benefit men. |
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What conservative group has a lot of influence on social policies? |
The New Right. |
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How should policies impact the traditional nuclear family according to the New Right? |
It shouldn't undermine the Nuclear Family. As this is a self reliant family, it doesn't need any benefits. |
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How do current policies impact on the nuclear families? Provide an example. |
They weaken it. The current policies weaken the self reliance by providing generous welfare benefits. Example 1 - Council housing for unmarried teenage mothers. Example 2 - Cash payments to lone parent families. |
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What has the current policies encouraged according to the New Right, and was has this caused as a result? |
- Diversity - Increased divorce - Increased cohabitation - Increased same-sex partnerships - Increased lone parent families - This has increased social problems, like crime. |
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Give some example of policies that the New Right see as threatening to the nuclear family. |
1. Laws that make divorce easier. (Marriage should be seen as a lifelong commitment.) 2. Introduction of civil partnerships. (Shows that heterosexual marriages are not superior to other set ups.) 3. Tax laws that discriminate on conventional facial, with a sole male breadwinner. (As the non-working partner cannot transfer their tax allowance. Therefore make less than dual-earner couples.) |
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What does Murray (1984) define 'perverse incentives' as? |
Rewarding irresponsible or anti-social behaviour that creates a dependency culture. |
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Give some examples of Murray's (1984) perverse incentives. |
1. Giving mothers extra support if the father leaves, making him think it's okay to leave. 2. Proving council houses for unmarried teenage mothers. Encouraging teens to get pregnant. 3. Giving lone parent families benefits, leading to more boys without fathers. Increasing crime rate among young boys. |
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What is the New Right's solution to these increasing social problems? |
- Simply cut welfare spending, and tighten restrictions on eligibility. - This would give fathers more incentive to work and provide for families. - Denying council housing to teen mothers, would remove one incentives from becoming a young mother. - Taxes that favour married couples, rather than cohabiting couples. |
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Why do the New Right disagree with functionalists view of welfare? |
As less interference from state is better. As it makes families more self-reliant. |
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Give 3 criticisms of the New Right view on family and social policy. |
1. It assumes that the nuclear family is natural rather than socially constructed. 2. Cutting benefits will just drive more families further into poverty, and make them less self reliant. 3. The New Right ignores many policies that support and maintain the nuclear family. |
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Why do Feminists criticise the New Right view on family and social policy? |
They just want a return to the patriarchal family set up that confined women to a domestic role. |
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What view do Feminists take on family and social policy? |
A conflict view. |
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What do feminists believe social policy does? |
Help to maintain women's subordinate role. Encourages the unequal division of labour in the family. |
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How do 'normal families' benefit from the state and what does this cause? |
- Normal families are the assumed family set-up, so policies will benefit them more. - Example: Giving married couples more benefits and tax incentives, that are not available for cohabiting couples. - This creates a self-fulling prophecy and people can't see how you can live in any other family set-up. |
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What does Land (1978) say about family and social policy? |
They assume nuclear families are the norm. |
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What does Leach (1967) say about this assumption? |
It is the cereal packet family, as its always advertised. |
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Give 1 example of the polices that help maintain the traditional patriarchal family according to feminists? |
1. The assumption is that the husbands are the workers and the wives are finically dependent on them. Which makes it hard for women to claim social security benefits in their own rights. Reinforcing dependence on men. |
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Give 1 example of the polices that help maintain the traditional patriarchal family according to feminists? |
2. The way childcare is set up makes it hard to work. Government doesn't give enough money for childcare earlier on. School holidays are a difficult time for dual-earners. Which reinforces dependence on men, as it's usually always the women that had to take can on the children. |
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Give 1 example of the polices that help maintain the traditional patriarchal family according to feminists? |
3. The government expects the family to provide for the elderly. This task is expected to be done by a middle aged woman. Preventing full time working, increasing dependence on men. |
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What does Leonard (1978) say about policies that benefit women? |
He says that they just appear to benefit women, the policies really just reinforce the patriarchy. Like maternity leave is higher for women, so make sure its them who stay at home. |
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Give 3 criticisms of the feminist perspective on family and social policy? |
1. Not all policies are directed at the patriarchy. For example lesbian marriage rights, benefits for lone mothers, and equal rights for divorce. 2. Rape within marriage was made a criminal offence in 1991. 3. All these polices improve the position of women in the family and wider society. |
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What does Drew (1995) say about the concept on gender regimes? |
There are two types of gender regimes a country can have that will either encourage or discourage inequality. Familistic or individualistic gender regimes. |
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Define familistic gender regimes. |
A traditional division of labour. |
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Explain familistic gender regimes. |
It is when the husband works to support the family, and the wife stays at home to look after the children and other family members. |
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Give an example of a country that adopts the familistic gender regimes. |
Greece. There is little state welfare, or public funded child care so the responsibility is left on the women and their extended kin. |
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Define individualistic gender regimes. |
A more equal and symmetrical division of labour. |
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Explain individualistic gender regimes. |
When husbands and wives are treated equally and women are not assumed to be finically dependent on husbands. Each partner has a separate entitlement to stare benefits. |
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Give an example of a country that adopts the individualistic gender regimes. |
Sweden. Both partners are responsible for money earning and domestic tasks. There are equal opportunities for state provision, policies, parental leave and access to the welfare state. So there is less dependence for women on men. |
