L041: How do sociologists explain family policy?

Compare functionalist, New Right, feminist and Marxist accounts of family policy, and test their limits with one policy proposal.

Source note: Source note: Swedish parental benefit guidance explains that parental benefit is paid for 480 days for one child; use comparison carefully and avoid assuming policy alone causes equality.

Connect and Check

Sociologists disagree because they begin with different assumptions about family, state, power, dependency and inequality.
A policy proposal can be read in several ways: support, control, moral regulation, gender reform or labour-market management.
Good evaluation tests each perspective against evidence and asks who benefits, who is excluded and what unintended effects follow.

Choose your route

Access

Access: match each perspective to its policy question.

Core

Core: apply two perspectives to the same proposal.

Stretch

Stretch: compare perspective limits and write a qualified judgement.

Sociologist / perspective comparison

FunctionalismNew RightFeminismMarxism

Exam practice

Using Item A, analyse two ways a childcare policy could affect gender roles within families. [10 marks]