Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Chapter 15: Family Social Policy

Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Meaning and Use of Family Policy Family policy refers to a set of goals or objectives for families that governmental bodies or social organizations try to achieve through structured activities or programs. Programs are practical applications used to achieve or fulfill the intended goals.

Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Explicit versus Implicit Family Policy Explicit family policy is directed specifically at families with the intent to achieve precise family outcomes or objectives. Implicit family policy has unstated goals, but may affect families tremendously.

Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Research on Family Policy The issue of “value free” social research is hotly contested. An individual involved in family policy development may have to act as both objective researcher and advocate of a particular course of action.

Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Goals of Family Policy Research Establish family policy Evaluate existing family policy Assess the impact of family policy

Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Issues Surrounding Family Policy Goals and objectives of family policy Levels of policy control Public versus private positions Preventative or ameliorative policy Biological or relationship policy Macro- versus micro-level policy

Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Goals and Objectives of Family Policy Conventionals want social policy to maintain the status quo. Progressives support policies that recognize multiple family forms and facilitate social change.

Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Levels of Policy Control The U.S. has no federal family policy. States control marriage, divorce, and child welfare. States are subject to decisions made by the U.S. Supreme Court (such as those on abortion rights).

Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Public versus Private Positions The privacy position suggests that the family is a matter of personal concern and behaviors within intimate relationships are off-limits to others. The public position suggests that the state has a right and obligation to establish boundaries regarding what happens in private.

Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Preventative or Ameliorative Policy A preventative family policy would be directed toward all families in an attempt to prevent problems in intimate relationships. An ameliorative family policy would be directed towards groups in need of assistance because of problems.

Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Biological or Relationship Policy Policies with a biological focus emphasize heterosexual marriage, conception, and birth ties. Policies with a social relationship focus emphasize intimate attachments.

Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Micro- versus Macro- Level Policy Micro-level policy focuses on persons and patterns of interaction in daily life. Counseling is an appropriate strategy for dealing with a micro-level problem. Macro-level policy focuses on social systems. Changing the structure of institutions is appropriate for dealing with macro-level problems.

Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. The Future of the Family System Strengths of contemporary families: –Durability –Diversity –Resilience

Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. The Future of The Family System Weaknesses of contemporary families: –Declining effectiveness as socializing agents –Decreasing role clarity –Value of individualism –Declining well-being of some aspects of children’s lives –Some father’s lack of involvement in family life

Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. The Future of the Family System In predicting the future of the family system, the following must be taken into account: How changes are viewed depend on one’s frame of reference, value system, and group identification. Families must be viewed in relation to other institutions. Families are tremendously diverse.

Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Predictions for the Future Researchers posit that over the next few decades: Women will continue to work outside the home. Women will have reduced incentives to marry and have children. There will be fewer children and more older people in the population.