Feminist perspective on social policy

Conflict view
1. Social institutions including the state and policies benefits men and help maintain women's subordinate position in the family
Social policy built upon family generalisations and so reinforces that type of family at expense of others
1. Policies benefiting married but not cohabiting is an incentive to get married
2. Creates self-fulfilling prophecy
Cereal Packet families are what policy is based on
1. Tax and benefits policies often go to men as they are the assumed wage earner
2. Courts assume custody of children should go to mother
May seem to benefit but actually hinder
1. Maternity leave is longer than paternity suggesting women are the natural carers
2. Child benefits go to women - assumes they are carers
Criticisms
1. Not all social policies maintain hierarchy
  1. Equal Pay Act, Sex Discrimination Act
Gender regimes
1. Social policies different around the world so effect family in different ways
2. Traditional 'familistic' gender regimes
  1. Base policies on nuclear family
  2. Greece
    1. Little welfare state or publicly funded childcare
    2. Women rely on help from extended kin
  3. Traditional division of labour
3. 'Individualistic' gender regimes
  1. Base policies on equality between men and women
  2. Each partner entitled to separate state benefits
  3. Sweden
    1. Joint conjugal roles, both economic assets
    2. Equal opportunities policies, state provision on childcare
  4. EU countries moving towards individualistic
  5. March or progress towards gender equality

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Feminist perspective on social policy

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	Created by dottydiva96 almost 11 years ago