The Extent to Which Social Policies Reflect and Support the Traditional Nuclear Family

The Extent to Which Social Policies Reflect and Support the Traditional Nuclear Family

Social policy is the package of measures taken to solve a social

problem. I intend to assess the New Right and New Left, the taxation

law, the Child Support Agency, the fact that the government encourages

families to look after themselves, and that 16- 18 year olds don’t get

job seekers allowance.

The New Right is traditional. It supports the nuclear family and is

for being economically independent, not relying on the state. The New

Right is associated with the right-wing Conservative policies of the

Thatcher government in Britain and that of Reagen in the USA. Key New

Right beliefs about the family- Rapoport (1989):

· Based on heterosexual marriage between 2 parents.

· The ‘building block’ of society.

· Essential to social stability.

· Separate roles performed by men and women according to their

biology.

· Two parents and strong discipline needed in families, to prevent the

clash of social order.

· All other arrangements are ‘deviant’ and therefore threat society.

· Strong views on morality and responsibility- stress law and order,

plus personal freedom and responsibility.

· Concerned about supposed current disintegration of family life

resulting for increased cohabitation, single-parent family, abortion,

etc.

· Concerned with welfare dependency, ‘scroungers’ and the rise of an

‘underclass’- and the cost of these to the state. Therefore want to

‘role back’ to the state support.

· Very critical of single mothers and illegitimate children.

· See government policy as a way of upholding moral values and forcing

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...o reflect and support the nuclear

family as much as the New Right, the New Left Policies are accused of

reflecting too closely the New Right agenda on the family.

From what I have found from writing this essay, I would have to say

that social policies mainly reflect and support the traditional

nuclear family, as all of the New Right Policies I researched support

the traditional nuclear family, such as benefits to married couples,

as opposed to cohabiting couples, as it encourages couples to get

married to have these benefits. Despites the changes in the New Left

to that of the New Right, many feminists see their view of the family

as patriarchal and backward- which reflects the traditional nuclear

family.

So as a conclusion, I feel that social policies greatly reflect and

support the traditional nuclear family.