the new right Flashcards
like functionalists, what do the new right see the family as?
a cornerstone of society
what do the new right see a normal family as?
a nuclear family
what does sexual promiscuity lead to?
rising crime rates
what does divorce lead to?
juvenile delinquency
what does an increase in cohabitation lead to?
hooliganism
what does and increase in single parent families lead to?
dependency culture
what does a rise in illegitimate births lead to?
drug abuse
what are the new right concerned about?
the family is in decline, fragmenting under the threat of breakdown
increase in lone parent families and fatherless families, increasing divorce rates, cohabitation, gay and lesbian couples and a decrease in nuclear families
all of this has implications for children and wider society
what are the new right concerns caused by?
a breakdown in traditional family values
over generous welfare state
feminism - de valuing marriage and the maternal role
increased sexual permissiveness
greater tolerance of homosexuality and other diverse forms as an alternative to heterosexual marriage
what are the consequences of the new right’s concerns?
the fragmented family is no longer performing its functions effectively
inadequate socialisation
educational underachievement
anti social behaviour and crime
welfare dependency
charles murray (1984)
uses the concept of ‘underclass’ to describe the unemployed, impoverished, inner city working class, linked to a sub culture of social decay, promiscuity and illegitimacy, fatherless children, criminal and drug abusing young males roaming housing estates
argues that the government is over generous when it comes to welfare state benefits, resulting in the growth of lone parent families, particularly with unmarried teenage mothers, rewarding irresponsible and anti social behaviour
the solution is to reduce welfare state benefits of such claimants, thereby discouraging births outside marriage
proposed solutions
a return to traditional family values - life long marriage
a change in government policies - support and maintain 2 parent families
families without fatherhood - norman dennis and george erdos (2000)
increasing numbers of children are being born outside marriage and raised by single parents
places children at a disadvantage: poor health, lower educational achievement, poverty
boys grow up without the expectation that adulthood involves responsibilities for a wife and children - criminal activity
families without fathers are not an adequate alternative to the nuclear family
families are not just changing, they are deteriorating
amato (2000)
family breakdown increases the risks for children such as poverty and a higher chance of a family breakdown themselves
criticisms of the new right
doesn’t acknowledge diversity
brought in policies to define a ‘normal’ family which doesn’t fit everyone
blames ‘victims’ for their own problems - most lone parent families are not feckless lone mothers, but casualties of broken families
the positive image of traditional heterosexual nuclear families hides the unhappiness experienced by many families
feminists would argue that the new right ideas about the nuclear family reinforces women’s domestic roles
outdated views
