Introduction to Family Studies Families, the State & Social Policy

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We think of the family as a private place, but the family is also a public institution in terms of the contribution of families to the public good. What are some of the ways that families contribute to the public good ? –socializing children to be the next generation of workers or –caring for ill or aged members of the family. Families, The State & Social Policy

In other words families produce PUBLIC GOODS. Much social policy is aimed at families Social policy is a policy of for dealing with social issues Many of these social policies involve families –Head Start –Family Medical Leave Act Families, The State & Social Policy

Family Policy The goal of family policy is to promote family well-being These policies can be at the federal, state or local level Family policies are agreed upon courses of action aimed at producing an objective such as:  Reducing teen pregnancy  Reducing poverty  Helping families balance work and family

3/11/20166 Families, The State & Social Policy When most people think about aid to families they think about welfare –i.e. assistance to the poor— but government assistance for families is NOT just for the poor

What are some social policies or programs or federal level legal changes that have an effect on family life?  Family Medical Leave Act  Legalization of abortion  Welfare  Head Start Program Families, The State & Social Policy

The government helps all families, not just poor ones: Some specific examples:  Social Security is paid to all elderly who worked, regardless of financial need.  Each year, more than 25 million parents deducted part of their out-of-home child care costs from their income taxes. The Family and the State

The government helps all families, not just poor ones: Some specific examples: Family Medical Leave Act  The Family and the State

FMLA The law recognizes the growing needs of balancing family and work obligations and promises numerous protections to workers Law provides that workers are entitled to 12 workweeks of UNPAID leave per 12 months for various reasons such as:  Caring for a newborn child  Handling adoption or foster care placement issues  Caring for a sick child, spouse, or parent  Being physically unable to perform one's job

FMLA The leave guaranteed by the act is unpaid, and is available to those working for employers with 50 or more employees But, an employee must have worked for the company at least 12 months for at least 1,250 hours The benefits provided by the Act are not as generous as policies in some other countries, such as Sweden. SWEDEN provides 16 months of paid leave (80% or more of wage)

Much of the public policy aimed at families has long historical roots Long history of debate over where we draw the line between public and private As we have talked about – the line between public and private has shifted over time Think about child abuse – where would you step in? The Family and the State

Families, The State & Public Policy Until the Great Depression, the widely held view was that government should NOT intervene in family affairs Since then - substantial legislation has been passed to protect workers and their families These programs are collectively referred to as Social Welfare

Social Welfare We speak of the U.S. as a welfare state: a capitalist government that has enacted numerous measures, or policies, to protect workers and families from the harshness of the Capitalist system These include: 1) Social Security 2) Unemployment compensation 3) Minimum wage

Social Security Act of 1935  Social Security, pensions for elderly  Unemployment compensation  Aid to mothers with dependent children (ADC)  Later became AFDC (Aid to Families with Dependent Children)  The program we call “welfare” or TANF today Government Assistance in the United States

Welfare What assistance does the U.S. government currently provide to poor families?  income assistance  food stamps  rent subsidies Assistance is mainly to single parent families (and these are mainly female- headed)

Family Policy Debates Family Policy was not an issue until mid-70s when major changes in families became evident What family or demographic changes occurred that influenced how we view assistance to the poor?  Divorce rate doubled  Women working outside the home  60% of married women with children under 6 by 1980  Single parent families  11% of white children and 50+ % of African American children were born to unmarried women by 1980

Family Policy Debates Family Policy was not an issue until mid-70s when major changes in families became evident What family or demographic changes occurred that influenced how we view assistance to the poor?  Single parent families  11% of white children and 50+ % of African American children were born to unmarried women by 1980

Family Policy Debates Thus, many initiatives were passed that required work by welfare recipients Job training programs were created But not much changed Finally in 1996 welfare was completely overhauled and strict work requirements were enacted

What Caused Sweeping Reform? Attitudes towards women’s roles –More acceptable for women with children to work –Since nonpoor mothers were working, those on welfare should be too Characteristics of recipients –Not widowed, but rather, single mothers Divorced or never married –Deserving vs. undeserving poor Hand-up vs. hand-out Racial composition had changed

Families & Poverty Despite many initiatives and billions of dollars, the percentage of people living below poverty has changed little over the past 30 years Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census

3/11/ TANF Population by Race/ethnicity 2008

3/11/ Welfare Reform In 1996 the President Bill Clinton administration enacted the most sweeping reform in the welfare system in the U.S. Clinton vows “to end welfare as we know it” Did this happen? YES!

3/11/ Families & Poverty Welfare Reform is instituted to combat these problems What are the major objectives of the 1996 Welfare Reform Bill?  Enact strong work requirements  Introduce time limits on assistance  Reduce welfare dependency  Encourage two-parent families & parental responsibility

3/11/ Families & Poverty Welfare Reform is instituted to combat these problems What are the major changes of the 1996 Welfare Reform Bill? Make work pay: extends child care and/or Medicaid benefits (health insurance for the poor) to families after they leave the welfare rolls

3/11/ Families & Poverty Major changes of the 1996 Welfare Reform Bill?  Enact Mandatory Work Requirement & Time Limits  Move from welfare to work: 1) Recipients must secure employment within two years or lose benefits 2) Five year lifetime limit

3/11/ CHANGE IN TANF CASELOADS:

Big Reduction of Welfare Caseloads after /11/ Note that the number of caseloads declines sharply after welfare reform of 1996

3/11/ How do we measure the success of welfare reform? A clear outcome of welfare reform has been the decline in the welfare caseloads in every state National caseload declined 56 percent from peak in 1996 to

3/11/ How do we measure the success of welfare reform? TANF is finally reauthorized in 2005 Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt said: "Welfare reform is helping millions of people climb out of poverty. Now, we want to go the next step and help them climb the job ladder by creating more opportunities for education and job training.“

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3/11/ How do we measure the success of welfare reform? Another major issue is employment of single, never married mothers status: Welfare was successful in increasing the number of mothers, who never married (the group most likely to be on welfare) Look at how the groups become more similar in terms of employment after

3/11/ Effects on Income In terms of income – welfare to work is no guarantee that mothers will be able to lift their families out of poverty Most mothers leaving welfare receive low wages, on average $6.75 an hour. And these jobs have no health benefits – thus many remain on Medicaid

3/11/ Welfare Reform Is welfare Reform a success? How do we measure success ? If we want to lower the welfare rolls (# of caseloads), then welfare reform is a success If we want to have more self-sufficiency among the poor and less reliance on the state – we have not achieved this since many women are still receiving federally subsidized health care and child care benefits

3/11/ Families, Public Policy, & Poverty How do we define poverty? –How would you calculate the line that separates the poor from the nonpoor? –Who are the deserving poor and why has the definition changed? –Who is more likely to be in poverty today – children or the elderly?