New Right and the family

Question 1

What is the new right view on the family?

Answer 1

The new right view on the family is that there is only one correct type of family which is the traditional or conventional nuclear family.

Question 2

Why do the new right favour the nuclear family ?

Answer 2

because the new right sees the nuclear family as natural and a place of contentment in society that reinforces harmony

Question 3

What do the new right say about welfare culture ? and the affects of a labour gov

Answer 3

• The idea of a welfare state has lead to a dependency and a nanny state where the state gives handouts and encourages single parenting eg a single parent family resulting in a decline in public morality

Question 4

What would the decline in the traditional nuclear family lead to regarding family types ?

Answer 4

• Lone parent families
• Increased divorce
• Increased cohabitation which steers society to the decline in traditional values and principles

Question 5

what other theory agrees with the new right ?

Answer 5

Functionalist- this is because they also support the nuclear family

Question 6

What does Murray argue is happening to the nuclear family ?

Answer 6

Murray is arguing that the traditional nuclear family is under threat. this is because of the previous government and welfare because welfare creates a dependency culture produced by a nanny state that allows individuals to think that it is acceptable to take benefits and live off them

Question 7

What are new right theorists concerned about ?

Answer 7

They are concerned about giving lots of welfare benefits to single mothers as they think that it is a bad idea to have children brought up in lone parent families

Question 8

What is meant by

the breakdown on traditional values and what has caused this?

Answer 8

New right sociologists believe that the increase in lone parent families and re- constituted families and the easy access to divorce has lead to the breakdown in traditional values that causes social problems and reflects the breakdown of traditional societal values

Question 9

What are some criticisms of the new right

Answer 9

• feminists would criticise the n ew right theory suggesting that the theory is oppressive to women because traditional they encourage traditional gender roles such as the housewife role etc
• Chester argues that the New Right exaggerate the extent of cohabiting and
  single parent families -most children still spend most of their lives in a nuclear family
  arrangement
• even though divorce has increased so has the percentage of people who re marry suggesting that those traditional values haven’t declined
• New right theorists ignore the dark side of the family especially in nuclear family structures where there is abuse etc