New Labour congratulate themselves on their capacity to respond to the fact that family life is changing. Today there are more single parents, more stepfamilies, more women working. While most families had a stay-at-home parent in the 1960s, now only 30 per cent do - and these are often the poorest families. The majority of mothers leave their babies to return to work within ten months of giving birth. Our culture has shifted away from a child-centred family towards a work-centred family.
Clearly, the Government supports these developments. Many of its policies are aimed at drawing increasing numbers into economic activity. These policies range from the increase in state-funded nursery school provision and the new offer of after-school care, to Sure Start, to teenage sex education (in order to prevent new welfare dependents).
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