new right Flashcards
what are the new right views on family?
- the traditional nuclear family is the ideal family type and the cornerstone of society
- they oppose the rise of other family types and see that the reduced significance of the nuclear family leads to many problems in society, including crime, proverty, over-reliance on the welfare state and a decline in morality
- very similar to the functionalist approach
what do the new right think is under threat
The New Right sees traditional family life is under threat from social changes.
such as:
* Increased Divorce
* Gay and Lesbian families
* Lone Parents
* Cohabitation
* Welfare state policy
changing family trends
(new right)
1970 -
* 8% lone parent households
* 92% two parent families- married or cohabiting
* 18% of single women never married (aged 18-49)
* 11% of women cohabiting with a partner
2011 -
* 22% lone parent households
* 78% two parent families- married or cohabiting
* 43% of single women never married (aged 18-49)
* 34% women cohabiting with a partner
boris johnson quote
‘kids of lone mothers are ‘ill-raised, ignorant, aggressive and illegitimate’
parsons to support the new right view of lone parent families
nuclear family performs two irreducible functions - one of which is socialisation of children
this fails without both parents as children do not have the necessary role models to look up to and copy
lone parents aren’t suitable for this function
murray - underclass
underclass is a social group at the bottom of the social hierarchy that are somewhat cut off from mainstream society and generally lacking in moral values
the culture of dependency has led to this
murray and marshland - culture of dependency
- welfare state has reduced individual responsibility, self-help and the importance of support from families
- has created a culture of dependency, where individuals are over-reliant on the welfare state to provide them with their basic necessities
john redwood
the nuclear family is the perfect model of how all families should be
‘natural state should be two adults taking care of their children’
otherwise children will not be socialised properly, making them more likely to turn to crime
john mayor
called for a return to traditional family values in the 1992 election
these contribute to society’s stability, whilst values that differ from the traditional sense have contributed to social problems such as declining morals and welfare dependency
dennis
said that if boys do not have role models and parental discipline due to families splitting up they may become delinquent
this is supported by statistics which show that most delinquent boys come from a broken family background
examples of new right initiatives
1998 changes in taxation - preventing cohabiting couples from benefiting from better tax allowances than married couples
abbott and wallace
ao3 for new right
- see the new right as a form of patriarchy, attacks on single mothers suggest that a woman’s place is in the home
- single mothers and homosexuals are seen as dangerous to society, though nuclear family still causes a lot of issues e.g. DV
how would marxists criticise the new right?
Criticise the view that poverty and inequality are due to the individual like Murray suggests, instead they would argue that the bourgeoisie has created the underclass with their corruption, and we cannot blame lone-parent families for issues that have been created through greed as a result of capitalism.
how would postmodernists criticise the new right view of family?
We no longer need a dominant family type. We can pick and mix the best family type that suits our needs
how would chester criticise the new right’s concern for the nuclear family?
Chester would deny the idea that there has been a significant increase in family diversity, the new right overemphasises how much family has changed. Most people still choose the nuclear family although Chester would say that we now have a neo-conventional family where both spouses go to work and provide for the family rather than the women staying at home
