Sociology of
The family
Sociology of
The family
Lesson objectives
• Outline social policies in the UK
and other countries.
• To assess the impact of these
policies on the family.
• Understand the functionalist,
marxist, new right and feminism
view on social policy.
Sociology of
The family
Families & Social Policy
On the whiteboards you have
been given and working as a
group, write down a brief
definition of what a social policy
is in 15 words or less
Sociology of
The family
Social Policy
Social policies refer to laws made
by the government
Why are they important
to Sociologists?
Social policies are very important as
they help to understand how society
regulates family life, influencing the
structure of the family etc.
Sociology of
Families & Social Policy
The family
On the whiteboards
In your groups can you think of 2 social policies in the UK
that would have a direct impact on the family?
Welfare State Act
1942
Legalisation of
contraceptive Pill
Legalisation of
Homosexuality
1967
Marital Rape Act
1991
Legalisation of
Abortion 1967
Divorce Reform
Act 1969
Child Support
Agency 1993
Children’s Act
1989
Civil Partnership
Act 2004
Additional
Paternity Pay
2011
Sociology of
The family
Families & Social Policy
Which policies had the
biggest
influence
biggest NEGATIVE
POSITIVE influence
on the family?
Biggest Impact
Least amount of
impact
Sociology of
Social policies in other
countries
The family
Can you think of and social policies from other countries
that have had a big impact (either positive or negative) on
the family unit in that country?
Discuss as a group for 5 minutes
Sociology of
The family
Sociological Perspectives and social
Policy
Sociology of
Functionalism
The family
But us Feminists
The state acts in the best
know that these
interests of society therefore
policies
only
really
social
policies
help the
help
men
and not
family
perform
its functions.
allItof
areofaProgress”
is athem
“March
positive
policy
making
familyfor
life better
families.
Sociology of
New Right
The family
The state should not intervene in
family life.
If men and women preform the
correct roles properly the family
You are just trying to
will be self reliant and not need
justify
theintervention.
patriarchal
state
family, besides which
thestate
nuclear
family
is created
Recent
policies
have
not naturalculture
but a which
a dependency
undermines
the family unit.
social construction.
Sociology of
Marxism
The family
State policies are just there to
serve the interests
of the state
dominate
But recent
policies
capitalist ideology.
have made it easier for
women to go out and
Take what happened to women in
work
and have
tried to
WWII, nurseries
provided
so they
makemen
family
better
could work whilst
werelife
away
all members
at war, but thosefor
nurseries
closed
as soon as the war ended.
Sociology of
Feminism
The family
State policies are created by men
in order serve the interests of men.
Not all policies are male
what
Policies seem centred,
to think that
theabout
Marital
rape
laws
and the
patriarchal family
is the
norm
and
want to reproduce
it through
a self leave
extended
paternity
fulfilling prophesy. Just
take
policies?
paternity and maternity leave as an
example.
Sociology of
Perspectives and Policies
The family
Welfare State Act
1942
Legalisation of
contraceptive Pill
Legalisation of
Homosexuality
1967
Marital Rape Act
1991
Legalisation of
Abortion 1967
Divorce Reform
Act 1969
Child Support
Agency 1993
Children’s Act
1989
Civil Partnership
Act 2004
Additional
Paternity Pay
2011
Sociology of
The family
Perspectives and Policies
Sociology of
The family
Past 24 Mark Question
Using material from Item 2B and elsewhere, assess sociological
views of the impact of government policies and laws on family
life. (24 marks)