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Summary State policies and the family, theoretical perspectives
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Recap: state policies and the family, theoreticalperspectives
Functionalists see society as based on value consensus and free from conflict. They see the state as serving
the interests of society as a whole, producing and implementing rational social policies for the good of all.
These policies help society run more smoothly and efficiently.
Traditionally, functionalists would say that policies which promote the traditional nuclear family are best,
although policies like divorce liberalisation are good as long as they reflect society’s changing values.
The New Right believe that the state should have only minimal involvement in society. In particular, they are
opposed to using state provision of welfare to deal with social problems. In their view, state intervention in
areas such as family life, income support, education and health care robs people of their freedom to make
their own decisions and undermines their sense of responsibility. This in turn leads to greater social
problems, such as crime and delinquency.
For example, Charles Murray (1984) argues that some policies act as ‘perverse incentives’ that weaken the
family’s self-reliance. They encourage the growth of a dependency culture and an underclass of lone
mothers, undisciplined children, and feckless fathers who abandon their families in the knowledge that the
welfare state will provide for them.
Radical feminists see society is patriarchal (male dominated), benefiting men at women’s expense, and the
state perpetuates women’s revolution through its social policies. Liberal feminists are more positive. They see
policies as reflecting changing values with women becoming more equal to men.
In the Marxist view, the state represents the ruling class, and its social policies serve the interests of
capitalism, not those of society as a whole:
● They provide ideological legitimation to mask capitalist exploitation.
● They maintain the labour force for further exploitation.
● They are a means of preventing subordination.
Marxists recognise that social policies do sometimes provide real, if limited, benefits to the working class.
However, such gains are constantly threatened by cuts in state spending on welfare.
Consensus Maintain Nuclear family Revolution Feckless
Subordination Decisions Society Self-reliance Divorce
Welfare Responsibility Limited Smoothly Ruling class
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