Examine the approach and policies of governments towards families During the period 1945-1970’s the government attempted to develop the welfare state by adopting an approach that was highly interventionist. Over the last fifty years, the state has changed considerably. It has gone from being a ‘big’ state in years between 1945 – 1970, to a state which gives minimal state support in the years between 1980 and 1990 and an enabling state from the years 1997 -2010. The welfare state is a social system whereby the state assumes primary responsibility for the welfare of its citizens, as in matters of health care, education, employment, and social security. A social policy is simply a proposal or an initiative that is put into practise by a political party or a government that relates to any area of social life, and in this case the family. One policy the government introduced was the welfare state. The welfare state was introduced by Attlee’s government after their election victory in 1945, in response to the Beveridge Report of 1942. Beverigde was a British economist and social reformer who were closely associated with the development of the welfare state. The welfare state was created by the labour government to end poverty and look after everyone from the ‘cradle to grave’. The main parts of the welfare state included NHS, child benefits, job seekers allowance, and pensioners for elderly, education, state housing etc. The government’s purpose was to actively intervene in order to bring about certain outcomes. They wanted to take tax money from workers and spend that money on services such as the NHS and education which are useful to the family and society. The phrase ‘welfare from the cradle to the grave’ proposed that all worthy people should pay a weekly contribution to the state. In return, the benefits would be paid to the unemployed, the sick, the tired and the widowed. This policy has had a positive impact on families and society in general, for example the introduction of health, education and housing policies have enables families to carry out their functions more effectively and have benefited society generally. The policy of the welfare state has benefited the family in many ways. For example, the creation of the NHS gives free medical treatment but paid for out of taxation and this has reduced the death rate and also families are better able to take care of its members when they are sick. It has also reduced the infant mortality rate. In addition, the creation of compulsory state education has benefited the family because its members can gain qualifications to gain skills to be good at their chosen job. When your older and have a family yourself you will be able to provide for them due to your sufficient income. Also, parents are able to go out to work whilst their children are at school which is therefore boosting the economy. Lastly, the provision of council housing which means houses are available at a social rent by their local government has benefited families because it has reduced homelessness and poverty. The benefits that the state gives was put in place to reduce the five great evils off – ‘want’, ‘disease’, ‘ignorance’, ‘squalor’ and ‘idleness’. Beveridge assumed that most people would be employed most of the time which means they would be paying taxes and not claiming benefits. Also that most women will be housewives and most families would be nuclear. The overall purpose was to give birth to death support for all types of families and its members. The New Rights (1980-1990) criticize previous government policies towards the welfare state. They argue that governments often weaken the family’s self reliance by providing generous welfare benefits. These include providing council housing for unmarried teenage mothers and cash payments to support lone-parent families. They argue that social policies can encourage a dependency culture where individuals come to depend on the state to support them and their children, rather than being self reliant. Charles Murray for example, argues that these benefits offer ‘perverse incentives’, that is, they reward irresponsible or anti social behavior. For example, if fathers see that the state will maintain their children, some of them will abandon their responsibilities towards their families. The New Right’s views suggest that there is a significant rise in never married single parents, usually young and female, which has created a problem in society in relation to social stability and order. They also claim benefits and workers pay for this through tax. The absence of a father means there is no dual role models and no fathers’ income and discipline which mean there have been a reduction in individual responsibility and a moral decay. The main view of the New Right theory is that the welfare state and other government policies have created a state dependency where individuals in society rely on services such as council houses and benefits, rather than themselves. Us as individuals should therefore do more to support ourselves and our families and as a result have minimal state support. Certain policies were introduced by the conservative government between 1979 and 1997. Firstly, the withdrawal of benefits from all 16-18 year olds. Previously governments paid benefits to 16-18 year olds for housing benefits (to help towards renting a house) and towards living costs and the conservatives removed these benefits. This policy illustrates New Right ideas because the withdrawal of such benefits would make 16-18 year olds less dependent upon the welfare state and would mean that parents would have to take more responsibility for their children. It also reduces the tax that the workers have to pay. Individuals that are ages 16-18 may find it relatively difficult to support themselves which therefore encourages them to stay on in education for longer E.G get A levels and a degree which will enable them to get a highly skilled career with a good income, consequently reducing state dependency. A further policy is the child support agency/act of 1993 which is responsible for ensuring that parents meet their financial responsibilities towards their children hen parents live apart. Many people contact the agency at difficult times of their lives E.G after the birth of a child to a single mother or during divorce proceedings. This policy illustrates New Right ideas because it reduces state dependency and encourages equal financial contributions to the child’s welfare from both parents. New right were concerned that too many parents are dependent upon benefits as a result of single parent households or the absence of a fathers/mothers income. Lastly, a final policy is community care. This means the treating and caring of physically and mentally disabled people and the elderly in their own homes and not in institutions such as care homes. This illustrates New Right ideas because it saves money which is obviously benefiting the tax payers. Family’s, especially women, are taking more responsibility for caring for its members, which means the government are doing less. The New Rights main belief is in minimal state support, which means that the state plays a minimal part in society and families Finally, the New Labour government 1997-present day have many views on social policies within society and believe in an enabling state which means that the state should be taking an active role in society by the provision of opportunities. For example, The new deal for lone parents is a voluntary programme designed to help lone parents aged 16 or over who are not working or who are working less than 16 hours per week and who have responsibility for the care of a child under the age of 16. It is a scheme to encourage lone parents over the age of 16 to get back into work E.G skills and training. This links to Labour’s key themes because single parents (usually mothers) should be provided with opportunities that enable them to take up employment and also gain qualifications/skills/training required to do so. Also, Sure Start is a children’s centre which provides a variety of advice and support for parents. Their services are available to you from pregnancy right through to when your child goes into reception at primary school. This links to Labour’s key themes because parents have responsibilities as well as rights when bringing up children. Single parents should be given opportunities such as free child care which allows them to take up employment without worrying about their child’s care and welfare.
A further policy is free education places for 3 and 4 year olds and it gives children the opportunity to learn and play in a safe and structured environment and all 3 and4 year olds are entitled to receive 15 hours of free charge. It gives young parents the opportunity to generate an income or progress with their education. This links to labour themes because single parents are entitled to opportunities to help them in the long and expensive process of bringing up children. Furthermore, a policy is working family’s tax credits which is a state benefit made for people who work on a low income. This links to Labour’s key themes because it provides financial support whilst overall giving the family as a whole support. Also, making work play and benefits seem less attractive is a policy New Labour believe in. By introducing a minimum wage where everyone is entitled to the same pay in all kinds of jobs has encouraged many people to stop claiming benefits but instead to go out to work. This has also had an impact on ending state dependency. Overall, New Labour believes that the creation of an enabling state provides opportunities, but individuals have a responsibility to take up those responsibilities. They also believe tackling poverty and addressing the issue of social exclusion is very important in the smooth running of society. To conclude, I have shown an understanding of the changes which have taken place over the last 50 years or so in relation to government and social policies and the impact these have had on the family. I have explained the New Right’s and New Labour’s main ideas and key themes regarding policies of the government towards families. The period of 1945 – 1970 was when the welfare state was introduced and thus meant many families were reliant on this and the services it provides E.G state housing and child benefits, rather than relying on themselves. The New Right (1980 – 1990) was a state which provided minimal support to families and society and lastly the New Labour (1997 to present day) is an enabling state which plays an active role in families lives.