Family Sociology Families, the State & Social Policy Professor Connie Gager

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 or societal good. What are some of the ways that families contribute to the public good ? ◦socializing children to be the next generation of workers and/or ◦caring for ill or aged members of the family. Families, The State & Social Policy

In other words families produce PUBLIC GOODS: They socialize children – thus when children reach adulthood they are ready for the workforce Families may care for the elderly Families, The State & Social Policy

Much social (government) policy is aimed at families Social policy is a policy for dealing with social issues Many of these social policies involve families ◦Head Start Program ◦Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) 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

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 11/20/20156

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.  Also, 30 million taxpayers deducted the interest they paid on their home mortgages. The Family and the State

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 The line between public and private has shifted over time Families used to live on farms with servants, boarders, and apprentices The Family and the State

During the 1700’s and 1800’s, most families lived on farms with servants, boarders, and apprentices and a lot of children Until the early 1900’s families lived where they worked – on farms With urbanization (the growth of cities) and industrialization (the change from farming to factory work) work was separated from families Since that time, families have become more private The Family and the State

Families, The State & Public Policy Until the Great Depression, (1929 through the 1930’s) 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  health insurance Assistance is mainly to single parent families (and these are mainly female-headed)

What Caused Sweeping Reform? Attitudes towards women’s roles ◦More acceptable for women with children to work ◦Since nonpoor mothers were working, people began to think those on welfare should work 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

Poverty in the U.S. In 2010, nearly 44 million families were in poverty Your likelihood of being poor and of receiving welfare is associated with your race and ethnicity

TANF Recipients by Race/Ethnicity

Race and Ethnicity of Parents Receiving Temporary Assistance to Needy Families 2002 Source:

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? 11/20/201519

Summary Many social policies enacted by government are aimed at improving the lives of families Since the great depression the government has enacted more policies aimed at families Before then they stayed out of families lives FMLA, Head Start, tax subsidies and welfare are a few of ht many policies designed to help U.S. families