New Right view

Question 1

Describe the New Right view

Answer 1

The New Right have a conservative and anti-feminist perspective on the family. They are firmly opposed to family diversity (in particular same-sex and lone parent families).

They embrace a range of ideologies associated with a left centrally controlled free market economy.

Question 2

What do New Right believe about the nuclear family?

Answer 2

see this family as ‘natural’ and based on
fundamental biological differences between men and
women.

Question 3

Why are the New Right critical of lone parent families?

Answer 3

• Lone mothers cannot discipline their children properly.
• Lone-parent families leave boys without an adult male role model, resulting in educational failure, delinquency and social instability.
• Such families are also likely to be poorer and thus a burden on the welfare state and taxpayers.

Question 4

What does Charles Murray describe as the underclass?

Answer 4

The people at the very bottom of society who ‘abuse the welfare system’.

Question 5

What is the culture of dependency?

Answer 5

When people rely on benefits and don’t work; their children also depend on benefits as they see it as normal. This passes on through generations.

Question 6

What 2 groups did Murray identify?

Answer 6

New Rabble

New Victorian

Question 7

How did Murray describe the New Rabble?

Answer 7

• Low-skilled working class, poorly educated
• Single-parent families are the norm
• Largely dependent on welfare and the black economy
• High levels of criminality, child neglect and abuse, and drug use
• Impervious to social welfare policies that seek to change their behaviour
• Will not enter legitimate labour force when times are good, and will recruit
more working class young people when times are bad
• Children attend school irregularly and pose discipline problems
• Large and lucrative market for violent and pornographic films, television
and music

Question 8

How did Murray describe New Victorian?

Answer 8

• Educated, in professional occupations
• Incomes above level at which tax or benefit changes determine whether
they have children
• Less mesmerised by careers than in the past; more concerned about children and community

Question 9

How does Murray want to solve these problems?

Answer 9

• Aiming for full employment: Murray views full employment as part of the solution to high levels of illegitimacy.

• Stopping the penalties of marriage: the benefits system favours single mothers over married mothers so, Murray suggests, benefit levels should be changed to ensure chat marriage is not financially damaging.

• Facing up to hard choices: Murray suggests that benefits for unmarried mothers be removed from all but those currently receiving them. He contends that the benefits structure should be reduced to the much more limited form that it took in 1960, when the welfare system seemed more workable and beneficial to society as a whole; the stare should stop intervening and should let the natural economic penalties occur

Question 10

Give criticisms of the New Right theory

Answer 10

• too harsh
• can be seen as victim blaming / ignores the fact that people need benefits because they can’t physically work due to disabilities
• exaggerate the decline of the nuclear family
• feminists argue that female lone parent families are being scapegoated for structural inequalities in society
• new right policies are focused on economy rather than social aspects of society and can lead to marginalisation of social groups