Social policy and the family

Overview:

• same sex couples can now get married officially.
• civil partners are entitled to the same rights as civil marriages.
• They are entitled to the sam tax, social security, benefits, inheritance and parental responsibility.

Overview:

• No guilty party.
• Women could now divorce their husbands
• Grounds of consideration for a divorce - adultery, cruelty, desertion and no fault separation grounds.

Evaluation:

• Criticised for causing increase in divorce rates.
• Good for womens choice and freedom.

Overview:

• Tax relief for families where both partners are employed but are in low income or pay.

Evaluation:

• Criticised for being unfair on other family types, e.g single parents.

Overview:

• Natural parents must provide financial support for their children.
• Force parents to accept responsibility.
• Supports the view that the nuclear family is best.
• Strong incentive to think twice about divorce.

Evaluation:

• Critcised for inefficiency
• Critcised for treating men unfairly

Overview:

• Cant adopt without birth parents consent or court placement.
• Adopted children have rights to contact their birth family and to inheritance.
• Families must be approved by the government.
• Ethnicity etc must be considered.