Social Policies

Social policies in the UK
In the UK there are many social policies that include being able to marry only on person at a time, only someone of the opposite sex however civil partnership now exist.
Social policies that affect divorce include whether or not divorce is legal, the amount of time you have to stay married before divorce is possible and who gains custody of the children. This affects children by having to go to school between the ages of 5 and 16, not being able to work part time until they are 13 and full time until they are 16. A whole range laws to do with smoking, drinking, sexual behaviour and even going to the cinema.
Social policies that affect of welfare includes child benefits that all primary cares of children receive, benefits available to single parents, and unemployment, housing benefits and pensions.
Social policies that affect on domestic violence and child abuse includes the laws that protect all members of the family against violence and give the police and courts the power to intervene within the family, remove violent members and place children in care.

Social polices in other countries
In all countries have very different laws that affect the family and these laws are constantly changing to fit in with different circumstances and the political ambitions of the countries' leaders.
In Nazi Germany in the 1930s for example the government decided that only the 'racially pure' should be able to have children. Many of those who were not see as fit to breed, such as the mentally and physically handicapped, were compulsorily sterilised.
In Romania in the 1980s, the government tried to increase the birth rate by restricting contraception and abortion. They made marriage more financially attractive and restricted divorce.
In China they have a one child policy and couples that comply get higher tax allowances and other benefits.

Theoretical Views
Theoretical views on social policies are held by functionalists, the New Right and feminists.

Functionalist Views on social policy
Functionalists have generally taken a positive view on social policy. The welfare state takes a lot of pressure off the family with regard to education and health care, and allows the family to concentrate on socialisation and nurturing. Murdock argues that the modern family has four key functions an Parson argues it has two functions. The existence of the welfare state allows the family to concentrate on these key functions.

New Right Views on social policy
The New Right takes a negative view on many social policies as they see them as undermining the traditional nuclear family. they are particularly critical of welfare benefits that are given to single-parent families as they believe they encourage young women especially to become pregnant, knowing the state will look after then and their child. Single-parent family should be discouraged and the nuclear family encouraged. One way this would be to reduce or eliminate the benefits given to single parents whilst making nuclear family and marriage more financially attractive. The New Right are also critical of divorce laws as they believe divorce is too easy, and people need to be encouraged to work at their marriage and not take the 'easy option' of divorce.

Feminist Views on social policy
Feminist support benefits for single parents because most single parents are women. Most women do not want to be single parents but may have left abusive or empty shell marriages and should be supported by the state as feminists argue. If benefits for single parents are reduce then the children will suffer. Feminist are also in favour of the divorce laws because they enable women to free themselves from patriarchal control, and would welcome the recent civil partnership law which enables gay couples to gain similar legal rights to heterosexuals. They would obviously welcome the laws against domestic violence, but often question how useful they are if the police are sometimes reluctant to become involved. Feminist also argue the many social policies are sexist and stereotypical.

Marxist Views on social policy
Marxist focus on the inequalities that exist in society between the bourgeoisie or capitalists (owner of factories and business) and they proletariat or working class (everyone else). The relationship between these two groups is not equal as the working class are forced to sell their labour to the capitalists in return for money. The capitalist make profit as they pay the workers less than the value of what they produce. The role of social polices in all this complex and not all Marxists agree with each other. Marxist social polices such as free education, health care and the welfare state are the result of class struggle. In other words the working class have 'won' these benefits from the capitalist class who were afraid of the consequences if they did not give the working class a better quality life. For other Marxists social polices are just 'smokescreens' to make life appear better. Education and health care are free. Health care is also only provided free to enable the workers to get better as quickly as possible so they can get back to work ready to be exploited all over again! Welfare benefits are kept as low as possible to force people back to work, and only exist to prevent conflict and possible to revolution. State pensions in particular are very poor as elderly people are no longer of any benefit to capitalism and no longer have a purpose.