What is social Policy?
A social policy is a statement that details how particular social welfare initiatives and public absentChildrencoolingCreditsDealdiversitydivorcedomesticEducationextendedFeministsfosteringgenderhousingideologyincomemarryMaternitynuclearpaternitypensionsrapeRightservicesSupporttraditionalunworkablewelfare should be delivered usually in the form of a piece of legislation (a law)
Taxation, absentChildrencoolingCreditsDealdiversitydivorcedomesticEducationextendedFeministsfosteringgenderhousingideologyincomemarryMaternitynuclearpaternitypensionsrapeRightservicesSupporttraditionalunworkablewelfare, housing and education policies are all areas which can have an effect on how people organise their family lives

Social policy and the family
Government policies towards the family and the laws relating to family life have often been seen as following the accepted family absentChildrencoolingCreditsDealdiversitydivorcedomesticEducationextendedFeministsfosteringgenderhousingideologyincomemarryMaternitynuclearpaternitypensionsrapeRightservicesSupporttraditionalunworkablewelfare, i.e. the nuclear family, marriage, heterosexual, male breadwinner and female housewife as normal.
Policies can be seen as direct, laws affecting the family itself, or indirect, laws affecting other areas such as education, the workplace etc.
Direct policies
· Laws affect how we absentChildrencoolingCreditsDealdiversitydivorcedomesticEducationextendedFeministsfosteringgenderhousingideologyincomemarryMaternitynuclearpaternitypensionsrapeRightservicesSupporttraditionalunworkablewelfare, when we can and for what reasons
· Laws affect when we can absentChildrencoolingCreditsDealdiversitydivorcedomesticEducationextendedFeministsfosteringgenderhousingideologyincomemarryMaternitynuclearpaternitypensionsrapeRightservicesSupporttraditionalunworkablewelfare, how many we can marry etc
· Laws affect what we can do in the family, e.g. marital absentChildrencoolingCreditsDealdiversitydivorcedomesticEducationextendedFeministsfosteringgenderhousingideologyincomemarryMaternitynuclearpaternitypensionsrapeRightservicesSupporttraditionalunworkablewelfare laws
· Benefits affect the absentChildrencoolingCreditsDealdiversitydivorcedomesticEducationextendedFeministsfosteringgenderhousingideologyincomemarryMaternitynuclearpaternitypensionsrapeRightservicesSupporttraditionalunworkablewelfare of families.
· Laws cover adoption and absentChildrencoolingCreditsDealdiversitydivorcedomesticEducationextendedFeministsfosteringgenderhousingideologyincomemarryMaternitynuclearpaternitypensionsrapeRightservicesSupporttraditionalunworkablewelfare issues
Indirect policies
· absentChildrencoolingCreditsDealdiversitydivorcedomesticEducationextendedFeministsfosteringgenderhousingideologyincomemarryMaternitynuclearpaternitypensionsrapeRightservicesSupporttraditionalunworkablewelfare Laws - when we go to school, what type of school etc
· Employment laws - e.g. maternity/absentChildrencoolingCreditsDealdiversitydivorcedomesticEducationextendedFeministsfosteringgenderhousingideologyincomemarryMaternitynuclearpaternitypensionsrapeRightservicesSupporttraditionalunworkablewelfare leave
· Policies on absentChildrencoolingCreditsDealdiversitydivorcedomesticEducationextendedFeministsfosteringgenderhousingideologyincomemarryMaternitynuclearpaternitypensionsrapeRightservicesSupporttraditionalunworkablewelfare - should more public housing be built?
Conservative policies 1980-1997
Conservative policies in this era very much echoed New absentChildrencoolingCreditsDealdiversitydivorcedomesticEducationextendedFeministsfosteringgenderhousingideologyincomemarryMaternitynuclearpaternitypensionsrapeRightservicesSupporttraditionalunworkablewelfare philosophies. The focus was on supporting the nuclear family ideal. In 1991 The Child absentChildrencoolingCreditsDealdiversitydivorcedomesticEducationextendedFeministsfosteringgenderhousingideologyincomemarryMaternitynuclearpaternitypensionsrapeRightservicesSupporttraditionalunworkablewelfare Agency was set up to encourage absentChildrencoolingCreditsDealdiversitydivorcedomesticEducationextendedFeministsfosteringgenderhousingideologyincomemarryMaternitynuclearpaternitypensionsrapeRightservicesSupporttraditionalunworkablewelfare fathers to contribute to the maintenance of their children. 1989 saw the introduction of The absentChildrencoolingCreditsDealdiversitydivorcedomesticEducationextendedFeministsfosteringgenderhousingideologyincomemarryMaternitynuclearpaternitypensionsrapeRightservicesSupporttraditionalunworkablewelfare Act, furthering the protection of children and in 1996 The Family Law Act introduced a one year absentChildrencoolingCreditsDealdiversitydivorcedomesticEducationextendedFeministsfosteringgenderhousingideologyincomemarryMaternitynuclearpaternitypensionsrapeRightservicesSupporttraditionalunworkablewelfare off period before couple could get divorced - but this was never implemented as it was seen by the courts an absentChildrencoolingCreditsDealdiversitydivorcedomesticEducationextendedFeministsfosteringgenderhousingideologyincomemarryMaternitynuclearpaternitypensionsrapeRightservicesSupporttraditionalunworkablewelfare.
Labour policies 1997-
Labour policies have in general been based around strengthening absentChildrencoolingCreditsDealdiversitydivorcedomesticEducationextendedFeministsfosteringgenderhousingideologyincomemarryMaternitynuclearpaternitypensionsrapeRightservicesSupporttraditionalunworkablewelfare families, but there is less influence from the New Right and some recognition of absentChildrencoolingCreditsDealdiversitydivorcedomesticEducationextendedFeministsfosteringgenderhousingideologyincomemarryMaternitynuclearpaternitypensionsrapeRightservicesSupporttraditionalunworkablewelfare in family life in what they have introduced. There have been few direct policies and legislation aimed squarely at the family but The New absentChildrencoolingCreditsDealdiversitydivorcedomesticEducationextendedFeministsfosteringgenderhousingideologyincomemarryMaternitynuclearpaternitypensionsrapeRightservicesSupporttraditionalunworkablewelfare has helped more single parents to work, tax credits have helped parents in low paid jobs and child benefits have been increased.
It could be said that the absentChildrencoolingCreditsDealdiversitydivorcedomesticEducationextendedFeministsfosteringgenderhousingideologyincomemarryMaternitynuclearpaternitypensionsrapeRightservicesSupporttraditionalunworkablewelfare family as the preferred form of family structure but more recognition of diversity has been given than at any time in the past. For instance Working Families Tax absentChildrencoolingCreditsDealdiversitydivorcedomesticEducationextendedFeministsfosteringgenderhousingideologyincomemarryMaternitynuclearpaternitypensionsrapeRightservicesSupporttraditionalunworkablewelfare have allowed parents to combine paid work with absentChildrencoolingCreditsDealdiversitydivorcedomesticEducationextendedFeministsfosteringgenderhousingideologyincomemarryMaternitynuclearpaternitypensionsrapeRightservicesSupporttraditionalunworkablewelfare responsibilities

Feminist Critique
absentChildrencoolingCreditsDealdiversitydivorcedomesticEducationextendedFeministsfosteringgenderhousingideologyincomemarryMaternitynuclearpaternitypensionsrapeRightservicesSupporttraditionalunworkablewelfare argue that all governments social policies tend to favour the traditional nuclear family. This they argue is based on an ideological view of what is “normal” - a nuclear family with a male breadwinner and a “housewife”.
Lorraine Fox Harding gives the following examples of social policies which favour the traditional nuclear family

1. Council houses tend to be built to accommodate nuclear rather than absentChildrencoolingCreditsDealdiversitydivorcedomesticEducationextendedFeministsfosteringgenderhousingideologyincomemarryMaternitynuclearpaternitypensionsrapeRightservicesSupporttraditionalunworkablewelfare families
2. Married women can only receive invalidity absentChildrencoolingCreditsDealdiversitydivorcedomesticEducationextendedFeministsfosteringgenderhousingideologyincomemarryMaternitynuclearpaternitypensionsrapeRightservicesSupporttraditionalunworkablewelfare if they can prove that their physical problems prevent them from doing housework - this does not apply to men. This reinforces traditional absentChildrencoolingCreditsDealdiversitydivorcedomesticEducationextendedFeministsfosteringgenderhousingideologyincomemarryMaternitynuclearpaternitypensionsrapeRightservicesSupporttraditionalunworkablewelfare roles.
3. absentChildrencoolingCreditsDealdiversitydivorcedomesticEducationextendedFeministsfosteringgenderhousingideologyincomemarryMaternitynuclearpaternitypensionsrapeRightservicesSupporttraditionalunworkablewelfare leave rules reinforce traditional gender roles

Now attempt Part (e) of this exam paper in rough using these notes to structure your answer. Get your friend to assess your work using this markscheme