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Positive and negative effects of neoliberalism
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“Neoliberalism” refers to a political and social ideology and policy model which became widely adopted throughout Western countries in the 1970's and 1980's. As an economic system, it emphasizes the importance of corporate and business profit acquisition and advocates for privitization, or the non-interference of the government in business and corporate affairs. A large motivator for privitizing the economy and allowing laissez-faire capitalism is the aim to reduce government spending and shift economic responsibility to privately owned companies. Besides promoting that individuals are held accountable for their own financial standing, neoliberalism also encourages individuals to assume responsibility for their social position. Neoliberal policy, …show more content…
For instance, neoliberalism caused an increased prevalence of “precarious employment,” whereby fewer employers are able or willing to offer full-time, consistent working hours, job security or benefits. Women are particularly disadvantaged by precarious labour and other neoliberal policies, such as descreased availability of welfare and centralized, low-budget childcare services. Additionally, the emphasis placed on the responsibility of the individual for their own care and that of their family means that women's unpaid reproductive labour goes largely unacknowledged and uncompensated, as women are expected to simultaneously contribute to the economy through participation in the workforce and tend to the domestic sphere and childrearing (Thomas, June 27). The family unit is important from a neoliberal perspective primarily because, through the relegation of responsibility for raising children and providing relationships of care to individual families, the state is held less accountable for offering financial and social support. Establishing a family which successfully fits the neoliberal model, however, requires that individuals are in economic positions which allow them to adequately support themselves and their dependents. Consequently, the working-class, racialized people and those with disabilities encounter specific obstacles to complete participation in both the neoliberal workplace and the family institution (Thomas, July
The economy is substantially bigger than it was in 1980s and the amount of spending increases even though the share remains constant. Kotz showcases his perspective as he points out that the that the US made Neoliberal Capitalism be the new template. The rising rate of profit after neoliberal restructuring encouraged firms to expand. Wages were stagnating while profits were rising rapidly. The financial sector of big business after decades of subordination “under regulated capitalism was able to emerge as the dominant force in the 1970s.” (Kotz) Ongoing accumulation of the capital is known to result in neoliberalism. What makes neoliberalism as economically different from other regimes of accumulation is its solution to the problem of maintaining profits as capital cycles through the realms of production and consumption.Every producer needs to find a consumer willing to buy his or her product. This is a common-sense observation, but it runs into some tricky problems under Neoliberal
Since the economic crises of the 1970’s great shift in economic policy and ideology has occurred in several western countries, Particularly the united states. In the 1980’s under the lead of Ronald Wilson Reagan the president of the united states (1981-1989) the government undertook a series of reforms which greatly affected the economic outlook on not only the US but the world. The movement which determined this shift in policy is often referred to as neo-conservatism, and the people who make up this movement are called neo-conservatives. Neo-conservatism is seen as a fantasy in modern politics. For its opponents it is a distinct political movement that emphasizes the blending of military power with Wilsonian idealism (Mearsheimer 2005), however for its supporters it is seen as a ‘persuasion’ that individuals of many types drift into and out of (Kristol 1995: ix). Regardless of which view is correct, it is now
Working women with families are often lead to inhabit several different lives all at once. In article “The Second Shift,” Arlie Hochschild discusses how women who have families and work are often subjected to having to stay a full time housewife along with their job, creating basically two sets of work, as the author calls it, the Second Shift. I think that the authors’s style of using many studies and examples helps to strengthen his points. Although he doesn’t directly express his opinion of the issue as much which weakens it to an extent but also helps to have the reader form their own opinion using the issues discussed. His use of vocabulary helps to express his opinion onto the issues discussed as it shows to be more sophisticated whenever he writes on supporting his own side of the issue. Hochschild doesn’t wait to get to the point when discussing the topics. He uses many studies and facts to help argue his points and is used efficiently, but also in a way it’s also ineffective as the lack of studies and facts that have used that would even try to support the other side of the discussion. I agree to the author's argument of how even families should continue evolving along side with the economy, to help couples to support one another as equals, rather then opposites with specific assignments.
...women are known to raise their children alone, the hardship of doing so cannot be underestimated and subordinating to a male provider might seem a better alternative (Sorenson & McLanahan, 1989). Pateman (p.33) takes on a tone of surrender when she indicates that from a social perspective a women’s place still seems to be within the family, especially in light of legislative action which seems to reinforce this opinion. This stand is further supported by the view that women are the ones who mostly provide primary care to children, and thus governmental initiatives such as paid maternity leave or other type of support cannot but be based on this view. Pateman (p.34) seems to promote the idea that patriarchy can be overridden by shared parenting, but will this imply the need for men to keep or minimise their socio-political contribution and focus on their family unit?
Socially, Roosevelt’s New Deal was ineffective for women, but moderately effective for the elderly and disabled. The status of women did not improve at all during this time. In fact, women were quite overworked and underpaid – the majority of women who worked from noon to sun were never done. According to New Masses, the author questions where all the women have gone. “They obviously don’t sleep…yet there must be as many women out of jobs in cities and suffering extreme poverty as there are men”. The answer – women had to support their families. Cooking, cleaning, and housekeeping, as they had been throughout histories, were all womanly concerns. Women were also severely underpaid during this time. For the elderly and disabled, it was a different story, as advertised by the “monthly check to you” poster. Social Security provided welfare and relief efforts to the elderly and disabled, in effort to quiet whiner...
In an article entitled “Resisting and reshaping destructive development: social movements and globalizing networks”, P. Routledge describes neoliberal development, “Contemporary economic development is guided by the economic principles of neoliberalism and popularly termed ‘globalization’. The fundamental principal of this doctrine is ‘economic liberty’ for the powerful, that is that an economy must be free from the social and political ‘impediments,’ ‘fetters’, and ‘restrictions’ placed upon it by states trying to regulate in the name of the public interest. These ‘impediments’ - which include national economic regulations, social programs, and class compromises (i.e. national bargaining agreements between employers and trade unions, assuming these are allowed) - are considered barriers to the free flow of trade and capital, and the freedom of transnational corporations to exploit labor and the environment in their best interests. Hence, the doctrine argues that national economies should be deregulated (e.g. through the privatization of state enterprises) in order to promote the allocation of resources by “the market” which, in practice, means by the most powerful.” (Routledge)
However, social conditions made it less feasible for families to live this way. As the 1960s approached and consumption was in high demand, women were yet again, forced to join the work force; but only a quarter of the women joined the workforce, whereas in the 1990s about “two-thirds of women who had children were in the work force (Coontz 55). Coontz (1997) explains how by 1973, “real wages were falling for young families, and by the late 1970s, government effectiveness had decreased (Coontz 54). It was because of economic factors that the nuclear bread-winning family could only be a lifestyle a few can afford. Nonetheless, women joining the workforce created a new understanding of women-hood, changed women’s status in society, and created conflict within the household. Women did not have the time to complete all the household tasks which contributed to the increased divorce rates, but left women happier due to the fact that they had that ultimate
Society has long since considered women the lessor gender and one of the most highly debated topics in society through the years has been that of women’s equality. The debates began over the meaning between a man and woman’s morality and a woman’s rights and obligations in society. After the 19th Amendment was sanctioned around 1920, the ball started rolling on women’s suffrage. Modern times have brought about the union of these causes, but due to the differences between the genetic makeup and socio demographics, the battle over women’s equality issue still continues to exist. While men have always held the covenant role of the dominant sex, it was only since the end of the 19th century that the movement for women’s equality and the entitlement of women have become more prevalent. “The general consensus at the time was that men were more capable of dealing with the competitive work world they now found themselves thrust into. Women, it was assumed, were unable to handle the pressures outside of the home. They couldn’t vote, were discourages from working, and were excluded from politics. Their duty to society was raising moral children, passing on the values that were unjustly thrust upon them as society began to modernize” (America’s Job Exchange, 2013). Although there have been many improvements in the changes of women’s equality towards the lives of women’s freedom and rights in society, some liberals believe that women have a journey to go before they receive total equality. After WWII, women continued to progress in there crusade towards receiving equality in many areas such as pay and education, discrimination in employment, reproductive rights and later was followed by not only white women but women from other nationalities ...
Women’s rights are constantly a topic of media discussion today, but the movement back in the 1800s was much less conspicuous than the movement of today, making it more successful. The main problem with women’s rights today is the lack of child care for working mothers. Women in the past were expected to stay at home and take care of the children while the man went out and earned the money for the house. Nobody batted an eye when men were never home to see their children, but when women began joining the workforce, it was suddenly unacceptable for them to not be home with the kids all the time, making them bad mothers.
One of the issues that demonstrated how sexism and heterosexism shape social welfare policy is the plight of single mothers. The well-being of single-parents, especially single mothers has been an important issue for the United States given that at least 50 percent of children who are currently growing up in the country will spend part of or their entire childhood in a single-parent family (Casey & Maldonado, 2012). As compared to other countries, single-parent families in the United States are worst off with high unemployment rates and poverty rates. This issue demonstrates how sexism and heterosexism influence social welfare policy since it has been the basis of establishment of various regulations to address the problem. The issue has been the basis of the implementation of TANF to deal with the high unemployment and poverty rates of single mothers. However, this policy has been ineffective since it makes people become more independent and does not meet the needs of women effectively. Therefore, it continues to be the basis for policy considerations to help single
Martinez, E. & Garcia, A. (1996). What is neoliberalism? Retrieved April 05, 2014, from Corp Watch Organization website: http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=376
Women have persistently been challenged with issues regarding what it means to be a ‘good mother’. Although times continue to change, issues confronting 21st century mothers, remain similar to the ones addressed in past generations. An abundance of mothers in the 21st century are still faced with the complex issue regarding the ‘stay-at-home mom’ stereotype, in spite of the fact that the feminist movement has provided women with more rights in the present-day, then ever before. However, while strides have been made, these changes have had an affect on society’s notion of motherhood. The portrayal of motherhood is determined by countless expectations in which society has established. Such expectancies have expanded, which now effect how motherhood is depicted in different cultures. As a whole the feminist movement has strongly influenced Western Society, which has resulted in women’s suffrage, the right to make individual decisions, and has also led to wide-ranging employment for women at more equivalent wages. However, the emergence of female employment has created a war between ‘stay-at-home’ and ‘working’ mothers, which is often referred to as ‘Mommy Wars’. In addition, female employment provides men with the opportunity to stay at home and become the primary caregiver, which has ultimately had a large impact on societies notion of motherhood, treating them differently than primary caregivers of the opposite gender. This paper will examine how the feminist movement has altered societies notion of motherhood in the 21st century in comparison to past generations as a result of working mothers and stay at home fathers.
One of the Biggest Challenges for Women Today: The Feminization of Poverty The division of labour and education along gender lines, racial inequalities and discrimination, and unpaid domestic labour all contribute to the growing feminization of poverty. Feminists are working to decrease the income gap, to benefit the overall health of women and the population at large. The term feminization of poverty describes the disproportionate number of women who are poor, and its link to the division of labour along gender lines (Calixte, Johnson, & Motapanyane, 2010). The Canadian Labour Congress reported that in 2005, women working full time earned 70.5 cents to the dollar that every male in a comparable job earned ( as cited in Calixte, et al., 2010, p. 17). Across the board, women are more likely to suffer from poverty than men are (Harnan, 2006).
Our lives are greatly affected by our culture, ecological environment, political environment and our economic structure. The overarching method of organizing a complex modern society relies heavily on the founding economic theories regarding method of production, method of organization, and the distribution of wealth among the members of. This paper, specifically deals with the views and theoretical backgrounds of two dominant theories of the past century, Keynesianism and Neo-liberalism. Our social economic order is product of the two theories and has evolved through many stages to come to where it is today. The two ideologies rely on different foundations for their economic outcomes but both encourage capitalism and claim it to be the superior form of economic organization. Within the last quarter of the 20th century, neo-liberalism has become the dominant ideology driving political and economic decisions of most developed nations. This dominant ideology creates disparities in wealth and creates inequality through the promotion of competitive markets free from regulation. Neo-liberal’s ability to reduce national government’s size limits the powers and capabilities of elected representatives and allows corporations to become much larger and exert far greater force on national and provincial governments to act in their favour. Hence, it is extremely important at this time to learn about the underlying power relations in our economy and how the two ideologies compare on important aspects of political economy. In comparing the two theories with respect to managing the level of unemployment, funding the welfare sates, and pursuing national or international objectives, I will argue that Keynesianism provides far greater stability, equ...
Women’s subordination within the labour market is seen by Marxist feminists as suiting the needs of capitalism as women are considered a ‘reserve army of labour’ as they are a more disposable part of the workforce. According to Beechey (1986) women are a cheap ‘reserve army of labour’ that are brought in during economic booms but then thrown out during slumps. Women are often not members of trade unions and are prepared to work for less money as their wage could be a second income. This benefits capitalism as a group of unemployed people looking for work creates competition and exploitation. Employers are given an advantage which allows them to reduce wages and increase the rate of exploitation. Benston (1972) supports this as women are used to benefitting the operation of the capitalist economy by carrying out unprepared work in the home. This proves that patriarchy dominates women which leads to women’s subordination. Hartmann (1981) believes that patriarchy and the economy both play a crucial role in explaining and understanding gender inequality. Historically, men have controlled women especially by control of labour power. This can come through legislation that operates economically to the benefit of men, for example Maternity and Paternity Rights. This proves that patriarchy and economics together explains gender inequality. However, Walby (1986) argues that women staying at home can actually harm capitalism because if women were to compete for jobs with men this would lower wages and increase profits. Women who earn also have superior spending power which would boost the economy and benefit