Evaluate the view that the main functions of laws and policies on families and
households is to reproduce patriarchy [20 marks]
Radical feminism would argue that the main functions of social policy on the family is to benefit
and reproduce patriarchy. Social policies are heteronormative, because they are often made
with the presumption that the typical family structure is the traditional nuclear family. This leads
to them becoming self-fulfilling as they support and incentivise nuclear families, and discourage
other family types by making it challenging and marginalizing those who do not follow these
norms which leads to a subsequent increase in nuclear families. For example, policies governing
school opening times and holidays make it inconvenient for those working full time. Schools
close earlier than most workers get off their jobs and there are few jobs that provide summer
holidays the same way schools do. Policies like these often assume that the mother either does
not work or only works part time so that they can look after their children. This reinforces
women’s subordinate position to men, as not working or working only part time in comparison
to their husbands who work full time, meaning that they earn less and do not have as much
financial freedom and independence. This results in less negotiating power for women, leading
to less democratic relationships between women and men in the family. Thus, demonstrating
how social policy reproduces patriarchy. However, many march of progress and liberal feminists
argue that not all policy maintain patriarchy. There are a number that improve their position
within the family in society. For example, the equal pay act allowed women to have the same
financial freedom as men, giving them more negotiating power, which results in more egalitarian
relationships between men and women in the family. Policies like these do not aim to reproduce
patriarchy but instead improve women’s position in society. Overall, whilst there may be policies
that may unintentionally reproduce patriarchy, most policies on family are moving progressively
to support women and improve their position in society. Suggesting that reproducing patriarchy
will not always be the main function of social policy but is sometimes an unintended side effect.
However, the new right would argue that feminists have had too much influence on social policy,
and that it actually undermines the nuclear family. An example of this is Free Childcare 2024,
which provides 15 hours of free childcare a week. This undermines the role of the mother, a
traditional housewife, by shifting the responsibility of looking after and socialising her own
children onto the state. However the most effective socialisation of children takes place under
the nuclear family. Thus, the self-reliant nuclear family and the benefits that it provides has been
undermined by feminist policies such as these. Therefore, social policy does not reproduce
patriarchy, but in fact many undermine the nuclear family, due to the fact that it is skewed in
favour of the demands of the radical minority. Despite this, feminists argue that policies like
these which on the surface seem to benefit women, still retain patriarchal dimensions. For
example, even though the free childcare act 2024 seems to help women, it actually does not.
The act only provides 15 hours a week of free childcare, which assumes that the mother only
works part time and is therefore available to look after her children during the week. This
assumption becomes self fulfilling as women only take on part time work in order to
accommodate this. This then leads to women having less financial power and negotiating power
than men, reinforcing patriarchy. Overall, although the nuclear family has eroded over recent
years, it seems that the new right are actually overexaggerating the extent to which social policy
benefits women and undermines the nuclear family, further supporting the view that the a
function of social policy on the family is to reproduce patriarchy.
