McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved. 6-1 Chapter Six l The Family, the State, and Social Policy

6-2 McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved Government Assistance in the United States l “Welfare state”: measures enacted during the Depression to protect people from harshness of capitalist system- social welfare was to help retired workers and widows

6-3 McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved l Social Security Act of 1935 l Social Security, pensions for elderly l Unemployment compensation l Aid to mothers with dependent children l Later became AFDC (Aid to Families with Dependent Children) l In 1996 it became PRWORA (Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996) Government Assistance in the United States

6-4 McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved l Measures conceived in a different time, followed traditional division of labor l Changes in family life, such as divorce, single parenting without marriage, and women working outside the home, forced another look at government policies l Public support rose in the 80s and 90s for new laws and policies Government Assistance in the United States

6-5 McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved l Debate centered on: l How to respond to growth of single- parent families and childhood poverty l Reform welfare l Enforce child support obligation of fathers l Whether/how to assist parents employed outside the home l Child care assistance l Work leave Government Assistance in the United States

6-6 McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved l State = a government that claims the right to rule a given territory and its population l Nation = a people with shared economic and cultural interests l Nation-state = combines the governmental and cultural connotations of both terms The Family and the State

6-7 McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved l Response to capitalist economic system l Welfare state  Government enacts measures to protect workers and families from harsh effects of system = basis of current U.S. government assistance The Welfare State

6-8 McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved The Family Wage System l Family wage system = husband earns outside home  wife tends to house and children l Moral vision specifies that the family works best when men and women inhabit separate spheres l Never a reality for many working-class and minority families

6-9 McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved l Welfare system followed traditional ideas about division of labor in family wage system l Social Security Act of 1935 set the tone for future government policies l 1950s lifestyle supported this type of structure The Family Wage System

6-10 McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved The Family Wage System l 1960s War on Poverty l Social Security benefits increased l Medicare introduced l Single parents were eligible for benefits, like widows l Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) l 1964 Civil Rights Act banned discrimination against women in hiring and wages l Weakened family wage system

6-11 McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved Family Policy Debates l Family Policy not an issue until mid-70s l Changes in families evident l Divorce rate doubled l Women working outside the home (60% of married women with children under 6 by 1980) l Single parent families l 11% of white children and 50+% of black were born out of wedlock by 1980

6-12 McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved l Family-strengthening theme in Jimmy Carter’s campaign and presidency l “White House Conference on the American Family” l Two conflicts emerged l Women’s autonomy l Income assistance Family Policy Debates

6-13 McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved The Conflict Over Women’s Autonomy l Different visions of women’s roles l Women should be relatively independent of men l Should have enough earning potential to support themselves l Should have laws to protect their right to make decisions about childbearing

6-14 McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved l Women should be dependent on men l Men should earn the money l Women should specialize in homemaking and raising children l Both should make decisions concerning childbearing The Conflict Over Women’s Autonomy

6-15 McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved Women’s Economic Independence l Breadwinner-homemaker model arose in the 1900s and continued through the 1960s l Before that time and since the 1970s, men and women have worked together to financially support the family l On farms l As dual-earner couples

6-16 McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved Women’s Economic Independence l The value of the services performed by the homemaker is recognized and might have to be acquired elsewhere, if the woman in the household works l Working men or women could purchase these services, but a homemaker dependent on husband’s money could not without consent

6-17 McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved Women’s Economic Independence l Some advocates of breadwinner- homemaker model believe : l System is God-given or biologically designed l Male dominance and division of labor is natural l Moral worth dependent on how well each plays his/her role l Essential to democracy as a mediating structure

6-18 McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved Women’s Economic Independence l Until recently advocates opposed social welfare programs l Viewed as encouraging women’s economic independence l Critics of breadwinner-homemaker ask about benefits to women l Costs of this structure apparent in 1955 study l Wives were twice as likely to be dissatisfied

6-19 McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved Women’s Economic Independence l Betty Friedan (1973) popularized argument that women lost their individuality in breadwinner-homemaker system l Challenged the idea of this family form being “natural” l Cited anthropological studies of various family forms l Concluded that defenders of breadwinner- homemaker were asking a lot of the women

6-20 McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved The Abortion Dilemma l Two visions of women’s roles l One emphasizes mothering and childbearing l Social conservatives “Pro-Life” l One emphasizes autonomy and employment l More liberal view “Pro-Choice”

6-21 McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved l Roe vs. Wade l Legalized abortion l Spurred formation of strong anti- abortion movement l Both sides claim to be defending the family The Abortion Dilemma

6-22 McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved l Abortion rights vary by class l Pro-life forces backed legislation to block government funds for abortions l Low-income people who rely on Medicaid have no access l Wake-up call for the pro-choice group came in late 80s and early 90s when pro-life judges were chosen for the Supreme Court l Today, it is a virtual tie The Abortion Dilemma

6-23 McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved Conflict Over Income Assistance l Public opinion favors assistance to the poor that enhances l independence l self-reliance l Critics charged that AFDC was helping to increase numbers of single- parent families l Defenders of AFDC felt that social benefits exceeded cost

6-24 McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved

6-25 McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved The 1996 Welfare Reform Act l AFDC and Social Security created as entitlement programs l Entitlement = program which obligates government to provide benefits to any who qualify, regardless of program cost l Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA) and Family Support Act of 1998 are examples of the reluctance and controversy over the issue

6-26 McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved l PRWORA = Government no longer guaranteed to assist every poor, single- parent family in need  emphasis on temporary assistance and getting a job l Legislation scrapped AFDC and renamed the time-limited cash assistance program Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) The 1996 Welfare Reform Act

6-27 McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved l The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 ended entitlements l Block grants were given to states to match funds and provide for welfare benefits l If state runs out, people have to wait until next year l Maximum of 5 years participation allowed The 1996 Welfare Reform Act

6-28 McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved What Caused Sweeping Reform? l Attitudes towards women’s roles l Acceptable for women to work l Since others were out working, those on welfare should be too l Characteristics of recipients l Not widowed, but rather, single mothers l Divorced or never married l Deserving vs. undeserving poor l Hand-up vs. hand-out l Racial composition had changed

6-29 McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved What Caused Sweeping Reform? l Concerns about dependency l Poor had become too dependent l Not encouraged to take a job or get off of welfare l Children who grow up in this environment might be prone to cycle of dependency

6-30 McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved Toward a Consensus on Family Policy? l Conservatives beat the drum to the tune of: “The government should not interfere or intrude into family life.” l Liberals beat the drum to the tune of: “The government should help families solve their problems.”

6-31 McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved The Conservative Viewpoint l Women stay home, marry men who provide l Oppose subsidies l Welfare is too high

6-32 McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved The Liberal Viewpoint l Women work outside home l Support subsidies for out-of-home care for children l Support abortion l Welfare not enough to support the poor

6-33 McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved A Practical Compromise l Pragmatic consensus l Family Support Act  includes Earned Income Tax Credit l Provides a refundable tax credit to low- income families in which at least one parent is employed l Even if no taxes are due, they will still receive a check for the value of the credit, if they file a return