This chapter provides the context in which public policy on poverty, the family and parenting has evolved over the last 20 years. It examines changes in ideology in relation to the family, key socio-economic trends and shifts in public attitudes over the period, and why they are significant for family policy. The socio-economic trends we focus on include changes in economic growth, family type, the employment patterns of parents, housing tenure and costs, and the diversity of the population of Britain. These areas were chosen because they represent major changes, particularly in the lives of low-income families. They also provide the context for understanding the rationale for policy action. Finally, the chapter explores how this context has influenced parents’ roles and the emergence of parenting as a concept in its own right.

Changing ideologies

Family policy has evolved over centuries, responding to as well as attempting to influence the behaviours of mothers and fathers. The state has concerned itself with matters such as marriage, divorce, the birth rate and parental responsibility. However, historically, the state has been reluctant to intervene directly in behaviours within the family, except where there was significant danger to children. The year 1997 marks the beginning of a significant change in the role of public policy in family life.

The Beveridge post-war welfare state was concerned with both the economics of the family and the birth rate. It created a social insurance system, underpinned by a National Health Service (NHS), tax-funded allowances for children and a commitment to full employment. It was also designed to prevent destitution and ensure a safety net for families. Beveridge's vision enshrined a traditional view of women's role, assuming that after the very active part women played during the Second World War, married women would and should return to the home as housewives. Alongside this was a concern about a falling birth rate; in Beveridge's words, mothers had ‘vital work to do in ensuring the adequate continuance of the British race’ (Cmd 6404, 1942). He proposed incentives for marriage and childbirth, and while his proposed marriage grant was not implemented, a maternity grant and benefit were introduced alongside widows’ benefits and family allowance, becoming foundations for our current welfare state (Timmins, 1996).