Chapter 4: Gender Regimes and Social Policy

The main changes highlighted are the increase in divorce, cohabitation, same-sex partnerships, and lone parenthood.

Tax laws discriminate against conventional families with a sole breadwinner by making them pay more tax than dual-earner couples.

The New Right proposes cutting welfare spending and tightening restrictions on eligibility for benefits.

<p>The New Right believes it will reduce the incentive for young girls to become pregnant.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>One major criticism is that the New Right's views justify a return to a patriarchal nuclear family that subordinates women to men.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Critics argue that the New Right wrongly assumes the patriarchal nuclear family is natural rather than socially constructed.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The positive role of state welfare in supporting families is ignored by the New Right, according to their critics.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Functionalists see social policies as beneficial and helping families perform their functions more effectively.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>These policies have led to the development of a welfare state that supports the family in performing its functions more effectively.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Familistic gender regimes are based on a traditional gender division between a male breadwinner and a female housewife and carer.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Marxists argue that policies can reverse progress and benefit the capitalist class, not the entire society.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Individualistic gender regimes treat husbands and wives as equals in both breadwinning and domestic tasks, promoting financial independence for women.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Donzelot believes that state policies are a form of power and control over families, rather than benefiting them.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Foucault sees surveillance as power diffused throughout society, allowing professionals to control and change families.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Feminists argue that social policy reinforces the patriarchal family structure by legitimizing the heterosexual patriarchal nuclear family and making other family types seem less valid.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Poor families are more targeted because they are seen as 'problem' families and the cause of crime and anti-social behavior.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Most European Union countries are moving towards more individualistic gender regimes.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The global recession led to cutbacks in government spending, increasing pressure on women to take on more responsibility for family care as state welfare provision decreased.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Marxists argue that policies benefit the capitalist class, while feminists argue that men are the main beneficiaries.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Key elements include policies on taxation, childcare, welfare services, and equal opportunities.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Donzelot argues that state professionals exercise control and surveillance by intervening to regulate family life.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Tax and benefits policies may assume that husbands are the main wage-earners and restrict wives from claiming social security benefits on their own.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The government funds some childcare, but it is insufficient to allow parents to work full-time without additional costs.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>These policies assume families will provide care, usually expecting middle-aged women to fulfill this role, which often prevents them from working full-time.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Equal pay and sex discrimination laws challenge the patriarchal family by supporting women's rights in the workplace.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Rape within marriage was made a criminal offence in 1991.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Benefits for lone parents provide financial support and independence for women raising children alone.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The expectation that women will provide care for the sick and elderly restricts their ability to work full-time and reinforces economic dependence.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The New Right promotes the nuclear family ideal.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Policies like shared parental leave and increased free childcare for working parents undermine the New Right’s ideal of a male-breadwinner family.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Feminists view society as patriarchal, benefitting men at the expense of women.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Feminists argue that social institutions perpetuate women's subordinate position and the unequal gender division of labor in the family.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Many social policies assume that the ideal family is the patriarchal nuclear family with a male provider and female homemaker plus dependent children.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>It is the idea that policies are based on assumptions about what a 'normal' family is like, which then perpetuates those assumptions in real life.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Feminism views family policies as tools that help maintain women's subordinate position in a patriarchal society.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>They assume husbands are the main wage-earners and make it impossible for wives to claim social security benefits independently.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The government funding for pre-school children is not enough to cover full-time childcare costs, making it necessary for parents to meet additional expenses.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>These policies make it difficult for mothers to work full-time unless they can afford additional childcare, leading to economic dependence on their partners.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>They assume families will provide care, often expecting middle-aged women to take on these roles, which prevents them from working full-time.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Policies like maternity leave can reinforce patriarchy by promoting the idea that childcare is primarily a mother's responsibility and offering lower benefits.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Maternity leave entitlements are more generous than paternity leave, promoting the idea that infant care is the mother's responsibility, and maternity benefits are lower, increasing dependence.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>They aim to provide women with equal opportunities and pay, reducing economic dependence on men.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>It recognizes diverse family structures and relationships, not just the traditional patriarchal nuclear family.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>They provide financial support and safety, reducing economic dependence and promoting independence.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>It recognized and addressed the crime of marital rape, challenging the notion that a husband has sexual rights over his wife.</p> Signup and view all the answers