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This essay will explain the role of ideology in the understandings and responses to social problems. Then focusing on one of the dominant actors, the Catholic Church, it will discuss how its ideologies influenced the development of Irish social policies from its peak, during the period post-Independence in 1922 until its influence waned. Finally it will consider to what extent its ideology remains important in shaping Irish social policy. Ideologies are a set of ideals or values shaped by political and religious beliefs, and a view of the world, which determine how issues will be understood and acted on. Providing a view of society, the relationship between it and the state, the role of the state in relation to the individual, a critique of the existing socio-economic system, a view of the ideal society and guidance on how to get there. According to Spicker (2008), ideologies are based on views of a number of principles concerned with the areas of Needs, Equality, Freedom, Rights, Justice, and Power. Influenced by political theories, ideologies can be understood in terms of positions on a spectrum varying from Left to Right. The Left described as collectivist and universal, concerned with needs, equality, and rights, and understood as being for welfare and public provision. Socialists and Social Democratics are considered left wing parties, for example Sinn Fein (2011) who hold strong views on the need for free universal childcare; State-led provision of comprehensive childcare made available to all who need it equally as of right, and funded by general direct and progressive taxation. While the Right favouring freedom, justice, and individualism, seen as selective and individualistic, and understood as being against welfare and public provision. Conservatives and Liberals are considered right wing parties, an example of a right wing social policy which wishes to lessen involvement in the provision of welfare can be seen in Fianna Fails National Recovery Plan (2011), which stated they would achieve savings in social welfare expenditure of 2.8 billion through a combination of control measures From this, it can be gathered that perceptions of issues and how to respond to them is greatly influenced by ideology as it forms the base from which all further ideas will be proffered. The Catholic Church has been one of the main actors when it comes to the development of the Irish Welfare State, its ideologies of control, morality, and disseminating the faith have long been influential in shaping Irish social policies, both under British and Irish rule. However, it must be noted that its influence has been conservative, multidimensional, complex and far1

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reaching; from politics, to healthcare and education, to censorship and morality. Fahey (1998, 143) identified two broad headings under which the influence of the Church on social policy in Ireland can be categorised; a teaching influence derived from Catholic social thought and a practical influence which arose from the churchs role as a major provider of social services. According to Kiely (1999, 2-5), the Churchs strongest influence can be traced to the emergence of the Irish Free State in 1922 until the 1960s when social reformers, the EU, and workers representatives started to have more influence. During this period the Church imposed on society its dominant values by way of its social and moral teachings relating to economic and social life through its influence on the Constitution (1937), particularly relating to matters of sexual morality, the family, and the role and position of women in society. Holding conservative views the Church believed a womans place was in the home raising her family, the man earning a wage to keep them, typified in Article 41 which state that women should not be obliged by economic necessity to engage in labour to the neglect of their duties in the home (Adshead & Millar 2003: 8).The male breadwinner typology which dominated at the time, favoured men over women in the workplace, thus women were not allowed enter or remain in the workforce once married, it was eventually reversed on entry to the EU by the Civil Service (Employment of Married Woman) Act 1973, and the Employment Equality Act, 1977 which gave married women the right to remain in employment after marriage (Corrigan 2004). Social Welfare payments were also designated to the man of the house, with women not recognised in their own right until the mid-1980s (Daly & Clavero 2002: 33). Social policies of the time were also heavily influenced by the Catholic principle of subsidiarity, which holds that a larger and greater body should not exercise roles which can be carried out efficiently by one smaller and lesser, evidenced by the involvement or intervention of state or church in the welfare or wellbeing of the family, preferring them instead to be self-sufficient (Daly & Clavero 2002: 32). It was also hugely influential as it dominated as one of the largest providers of education, health and social services since Ireland was under British rule. The Church having gained control of the education system from the British prior to 1922, and held onto it due to the impoverishment and lack of funds of the state, giving them the opportunity to ensure their domination and control over Irish people and thus public opinion from an early age (Moran
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2010). (b)y 1845, the Irish Catholic Church had become an independent power bloc to which the British state had decided to bequeath the task of civilising and socially controlling the Irish people (Inglis, 1998, cited in Moran 2010). Their control of schools meant that a strong Catholic ethos prevailed, and social hierarchies were reinforced, whereby the elite were provided with the top supports and access, while lower classes were left to the scraps. Regarding healthcare, it is mainly the Churchs teaching influence that has resonated throughout Irish social policies to the present day, with contraception, and abortion both deemed illegal by the state under obvious influence of the Church. Contraception being legalised in Health (Family Planning) Act1979 under strict conditions; only available with a prescription from a doctor and supplied only by registered chemists, while abortion for social reasons remains prohibited under an amendment to the Constitution in 1983. Evidence of continued impact on present day social policies can be seen in Fine Gaels support of marriage through the removal of the marriage penalty in the social welfare code, which can be seen as indirectly promoting marriage for Irish citizens (Iona Institute 2011). It could be concluded from the above facts that the ideologies of the Catholic Church have impacted greatly on the development of Irish Social Policies, with their values and beliefs dominating social norms from the formation of the Irish Free State in 1922 until the latter part of the century. Their views of welfare, morality, education, and health can be seen in the Acts and general provisions that were available at the time, having had control over the education and health services since British Rule. However, it can be noted that their views being conservative resulted in extremely right wing policies being enacted, also resulting in an extremely Catholicised constitution.

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Bibliography Adshead & Millar (2003) Ireland as Catholic corporatist state: a historical institutional analysis of healthcare in Ireland, University of Limerick: Department of Politics and Public Administration. Available at: http://www2.ul.ie/pdf/258567748.pdf (Accessed 23 February 2012) Corrigan (2004) OECD Thematic Review of Early Childhood Education and Care Background Report Ireland, Dublin, The Department of Education and Science. Available at: http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/9/47/34431749.pdf (Accessed 23 February 2012) Daly, M. & Clavero, S. (2002) Contemporary Family Policy in Ireland and Europe, Belfast: Queens University College. Available at: http://www.welfare.ie/EN/Policy/ResearchSurveysAndStatistics/FamiliesResearchProgramme/ Documents/cfpreport.pdf (Accessed 22 February 2012) Fahey, T. (1998) The Catholic Church and Social Policy, The Furrow, Maynooth: St Patricks College, 49 (4) 202-209. Available at: http://www.jstor.org/stable/27663634 (Accessed 22 February 2012) Fianna Fail (2010) National Recovery Plan. Available at: http://www.fiannafail.ie/content/pages/5833/ (Accessed 21 February 2012) Iona Institute (2011) Fine Gael want to remove marriage penalty from Social Welfare code. Available at: http://ionainstitute.org/index.php?id=1302 (Accessed 23 February 2012) Kiely, G. (1999) Introduction: From Colonial Paternalism to National Partnership: An Overview of Irish Social Policy. In Kiely, G. ed. Irish Social Policy in Context, Dublin: University College Dublin Press Moran, J. (2010) From Catholic Church dominance to social partnership promise and now economic crisis, little changes in Irish social policy, Irish Journal of Public Policy, University College Cork: Department of Government, 2:1. Accessed at: http://publish.ucc.ie/ijpp/2010/01/moran/01/en (Accessed 22 February 2012) Sinn Fin (2011) Sinn Fein Childcare Policies. Accessed at http://www.sinnfein.ie/childcare (Accessed 21 February 2012) Spicker, P. (2008) Social Policy: Themes and Approaches, Revised 2nd Edition. Bristol: Policy Press