Child benefit was seen by some to encourage the sort of welfare dependency that the moralistic individualism of Thatcherism opposed. Yet, surprisingly, the benefit survived the Thatcher years. Its survival reveals the conundrum the Conservative party have had regarding benefits for the family and family policy more broadly. Neo-liberals were supportive of the family as a vehicle for reinforcing Conservative values. Yet, the late 1970s and 1980s were periods of social change where the traditional family of the Conservative imagination was breaking down and consequently 'family policy' became a key political theme. By emphasizing the utility of child benefit as being fair to families, rather than its role in poverty alleviation, the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) was able to draw on this increased concern. As a result, their campaigns to save child benefit profited from increased support from across Conservatism. In tracing the development of CPAG's campaign, this article will demonstrate the cautiousness of Conservatives, even in the neo-liberal era, to changing some aspects of social policy. It will also highlight the challenge changing family patterns posed to the male breadwinner model that had long been embedded within the welfare policy prescriptions of both main parties.

中文翻译：

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家庭政治：1980 年代的儿童福利运动

一些人认为儿童福利鼓励了撒切尔主义的道德个人主义所反对的那种福利依赖。然而，令人惊讶的是，这种好处在撒切尔时代幸存下来。它的生存揭示了保守党在更广泛的家庭福利和家庭政策方面遇到的难题。新自由主义者支持将家庭作为加强保守派价值观的工具。然而，1970 年代后期和 1980 年代是社会变革时期，保守党想象中的传统家庭正在瓦解，因此“家庭政策”成为一个关键的政治主题。通过强调儿童福利对家庭公平的效用，而不是其在扶贫中的作用，儿童贫困行动小组 (CPAG) 能够利用这种日益增加的关注。因此，他们拯救儿童福利的运动得益于整个保守派的支持。在追溯 CPAG 运动的发展过程中，本文将展示保守党即使在新自由主义时代对改变社会政策的某些方面的谨慎态度。它还将突出改变家庭模式给男性养家糊口的模式所带来的挑战，这种模式长期以来一直嵌入主要政党的福利政策处方中。