Deck 15: Family Social Policy

Question 1

"Supply-side economics" in terms of various kinds of family support has been found to hurt the poor more than those in a better position economically.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

The Heritage Foundation defines its policy role as nonpolitical and to objectively sharpen thinking and increase public awareness of important issues.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Groups representing the conventional perspective believe that involved adults should strive to become equal partners.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

At the turn of this century, the Bush administration made pleas for a new Department of Family to provide assistance to families and children.

Question 5

Conventionals believe that the normal family is conjugal.

Question 6

Scanzoni points out that there is a relationship between progressives and the functionalist perspective.

Question 7

The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) accepts marriage as a union between any two persons of legal age who mutually agree to be married.

Question 8

Evaluation research is conducted at a programmatic level to determine the degree to which social programs have achieved or are achieving the stated goals of a public policy program.

Question 9

Progressives take a pluralistic view of families.

Question 10

The United States has no explicit national policy for families and no agency devoting its attention directly to families.

Question 11

In establishing family policy, the text suggests that families should be defined as any two or more persons related by birth, marriage, or adoption.

Question 12

Implicit family policy is not directed specifically at families, but has significant consequences for them.

Question 13

Childcare in Ireland is based on private responsibility model.

Question 14

Conventionals are opposed to the legalization of same-sex marriages and ignore those marriages that may have been performed legally elsewhere.

Question 15

Family policy is basically a state responsibility and as a result few laws directed at families were passed in the 1990s by the federal government.

Question 16

Zimmerman says the goal of family policy should be directed toward two-parent families, births within wedlock, and the elimination of divorce.

Question 17

The text takes the position that the family policy researcher should not attempt to be value free, but rather should lend support to the causes that improve family life.

Question 18

A study of two thousand firms with ten or more employees indicated that where job guaranteed parental leave existed, leave taking was not a problem and firms were able to deal with it without increasing substantial direct costs.

Question 19

The goal of family impact analysis is to determine if a specific program is working.

Question 20

Bogenschneider argues that family policy advocacy is an appropriate professional role when done within the context of family policy alternative education.

Question 21

The purpose of family evaluation research is to

A) determine the degree to which social programs have achieved or are achieving the stated goals of a public policy or resultant program.
B) assess the intended and unintended consequences of public policy and social programs.
C) examine certain categories of persons who have a particular life style and to discover the outcomes of that life style for the individuals involved and for society.
D) determine causal relationships among societal level variables with little concern for potential application of findings.

Question 22

A social relationship focus assumes that the woman who gave birth to a child should have priority above all other issues in keeping and caring for the child.

Question 23

Progressives would most likely accept laws that

A) permit corporal punishment.
B) allow same sex marriages.
C) fulfill the goals of DOMA (the Defense of Marriage Act).
D) do none of the above three.

Question 24

Zimmerman's goal of family policy is to

A) establish a national department of families and children.
B) maximize the well-being of families.
C) make divorce more difficult, get families off of welfare, and make abortion illegal.
D) do all of the above three.

Question 25

Someone who endorses and works for a course of action to improve family life is a

A) family policy liberal.
B) family policy researcher.
C) family policy advocate.
D) family policy patriot.

Question 26

Conventionals support the position that

A) the normal family is conjugal.
B) adults in families should strive to become equal partners.
C) corporal punishment (spanking) is abusive and should be discouraged.
D) all of the above three about equally.

Question 27

The type of family policy research designed to assess the intended and unintended consequences of public policy and social programs is

A) family evaluation research.
B) research for family policy.
C) family policy advocacy.
D) family impact analysis.

Question 28

An evaluation of a family leave policy by Connecticut businesses revealed that

A) most firms exhibited the resourcefulness to deal with leaves without incurring substantial costs.
B) most employees had to lay off other employees to make it work.
C) excessive leave-taking became a major problem.
D) both B and C are true.

Question 29

The Reagan and both Bush administrations took the position that the level of government responsible for the formulation and enforcement of family policy should be

A) the federal government.
B) state governments.
C) county governments.
D) municipal governments.

Question 30

The Family Research Council is a

A) committee of House and Senate members who focus on family issues.
B) value free research agency.
C) liberal family advocacy organization.
D) conservative family advocacy organization.

Question 31

Welfare, AFDC, and Social Security all support families in need, but stigma is less for Social Security recipients because they are defined as deserving of support while the others are undeserving.

Question 32

Macro-level policy focuses on patterns of personal interactions that characterize everyday life.

Question 33

Scanzoni most closely links the category he calls progressives with the

A) conflict approach.
B) functionalist approach.
C) social exchange approach.
D) developmental approach.

Question 34

A privacy position argues that the family or an intimate relationship is a matter of personal concern and the state or community should stay out of their affairs.

Question 35

The author of the text states unequivocally that as long as society exists, the family will survive.

Question 36

Policy at a meso-level would extend beyond the person or family, but not encompass an entire state or nation.

Question 37

The text concludes that most changes in the family such as divorce, unwed parenthood, or same-sex marriages are destructive of the social order.

Question 38

The text suggests that the research done in most of the "think tanks" such as the Brookings Institute or the Urban Institute would fall into the category of

A) political action committees.
B) research to establish family policy.
C) family evaluation research.
D) family impact analysis.

Question 39

DaVanzo and others predict that the conservative religious and political movements in the United States in the 1980s and 1990s will lead to more people marrying, having children, and staying married (fewer divorces).

Question 40

According to Scanzoni, the major weakness of the model of the conventionals is that it

A) lacks a broad base of support.
B) allows the individual too much freedom.
C) is liberal in its definitions of family.
D) is out of sync with the times.

Question 41

Family policy at a macro level would most likely focus on

A) organizations and systems such as housing and health care.
B) interpersonal relationships such as couples who need counseling.
C) persona issues such as an unwed mother or sick child.
D) all of the above three about equally.

Question 42

With regard to the future of the family system, the text points out that

A) the family will, in time, probably cease to exist.
B) any type of projection into the future is pure speculation and quite useless.
C) families will no longer be the primary source of socialization.
D) the passing of the conventional family will leave many traumas and many loose ends.

Question 43

Theoretically, Scanzoni links the perspective of conventionalists with the __________ approach or frame of reference.

Question 44

__________ is the type of family policy research that attempts to assess the intended and unintended consequences of public policy and social programs.

Question 45

A __________ policy emphasizes heterosexual marriages and genetic ties of parent and child as best suited to childrearing.

Question 46

Scanzoni differentiates conventionals, those traditionally oriented families who want to maintain the status quo, from the __________ who want change and believe a normal family can take many forms.

Question 47

According to the text, policy at a micro-level

A) focuses on patterns of personal interactions that characterize everyday life.
B) is related to such areas as taxation, medical care, employment, housing, education, and leisure.
C) focuses on the social patterns and forms of social organization that shape an entire society.
D) is identical to that of a meso-level policy.

Question 48

A policy directed at families with problems tends to support the idea that

A) select groups of families have problems, but the help resides with groups such as kin or community.
B) some families with problems such as the elderly are deserving whereas others such as welfare recipients are undeserving.
C) a policy should be directed at all families so as to prevent problems in specific families.
D) all of the above three are true of policies directed at families with problems.

Question 49

A biological focus on parent-child relationships suggests

A) the best interests of the child are of prime importance.
B) gay couples can keep their child only if one parent is the biological father or mother.
C) that "blood is thicker than water."
D) all of the above three.

Question 50

According to the test's discussion of the future of the family system,

A) most changes in the American family structure have been regrettable from a social standpoint.
B) the family is changing and likely to continue to change in the future.
C) the family can only be fully understood by isolating it from other influences and institutions.
D) only A and B above are true.

Question 51

The impact of supply-side economics of the Reagan administration on family support services, food-related programs, and housing was that it

A) helped most the poorer states at the expense of the wealthier ones.
B) proved highly beneficial to all states.
C) affected the poor more negatively than the economically better off.
D) affected everyone negatively.

Question 52

Policy research aims at determining the degree to which programs fulfill or achieve their stated goals is __________ research.

Question 53

Fox states that the social function of public scrutiny should include

A) an instructive function that teaches what is and is not acceptable behavior.
B) a regulatory function that serves as a means of social control.
C) a restorative function that includes compassion and concern.
D) All of the above three should be included.

Question 54

Bogenschneider argues for a new professional role in family policy, that of __________, which clarifies the potential consequences of a range of policy choices.

Question 55

John Scanzoni argues that the most effective level at which to target social policy pertaining to families is on the meso level. This focuses on

A) community groups and organizations that can mediate, provide training, and offer direct support to families.
B) social patterns and forms of social organization that shape an entire society.
C) patterns of personal behaviors and interactions that characterize everyday life.
D) students who get frustrated taking exams in family courses.

Question 56

To label specific types of structures or relationships as problems or as pathological will

A) almost guarantee the government will take action to resolve it.
B) almost guarantee that public sentiment will support policies to correct it.
C) in itself affect the type of policy directed at it.
D) in itself have little impact on anything.

Question 57

The text distinguishes between family policy research and family policy __________, which takes one side or position on an issue and works actively to process or achieve that position.

Question 58

DaVanzo and others predict that over the next few decades,

A) the labor force participation of women will level off or even decrease.
B) the incentive to marry will be reduced and childbearing will be delayed.
C) conservative religious and political trends will lead to a decrease in the trend toward cohabitation.
D) all of the above three will likely happen.

Question 59

There is widespread agreement that family policy should

A) be non-existent since the family is a private institution.
B) be aimed at families with problems rather than at all families.
C) operate at a micro level.
D) None of the first three has widespread agreement.

Question 60

The text differentiates between policies and __________, the practical applications that fulfill policy goals.

Question 61

__________ level policy focuses on the social patterns and forms of social organization, system, or society that extend beyond any person or group.

Question 62

Define family policy. What definition(s) of "family" can be used to improve the well-being of persons and relationships?

Question 63

What does the text suggest about the future of the family system?

Question 64

Should policies be established for all families or simply those with problems? Give arguments for both. Why are certain families who receive government support, such as those on welfare, stigmatized differently from social security recipients who also receive government support?

Question 65

What are the three directions of or types of policy research cited in the text? Show how they differ and give an example of each.

Question 66

Differentiate between what Scanzoni labels conventionals and progressives. How does each impact policy decisions?

Question 67

Scanzoni argues for policy at a __________ level, an alternative model that supplies a fit between the macro- and micro-levels.

Question 68

Scanzoni argues for family policy at a mesolevel. What does he mean?

Question 69

Differentiate between (1) implicit and explicit family policy, (2) family policies and family programs, and (3) family policy research and family policy advocacy.

Question 70

What are the major arguments for or against a biological versus a relationship policy as applied to (1) birth-parent versus social-parent custody, and (2) heterosexual versus homosexual marriage and children?

Question 71

Differentiate the role of the family policy researcher from the policy advocate and the alternative education professional.

Question 72

What are arguments for and against policy at a federal or national level and policy at a state or local level? Provide an example to illustrate different likely consequences resulting from each.