Theories Of The Family - NRR Flashcards
what do new right realism argue ?
That the nuclear family is the most natural , normal and desirable structures. And the growth of single parenting is dysfunctional to society and the individual
Who is Murray and what is his point
Murray is a NRR and makes the point of functional and dysfunctional families.
He argues that single parent families are a part of the “underclass”.
The underclass consists of single parent families , welfare dependant families and deviant and criminal backgrounds.
Murray believes that the decline of traditional family has led to the government becoming a nanny state.
Stat : 90% of single parents are matrifocal, there is no positive male role model and they may turn to peers to learn about masculinity.
Without a father playing the instrumental role their will be no income , parents will rely on welfare benefits reinforcing that nanny state.
Young males may turn to utilitarian crimes (financially motivated ) to make money.
What are the evaluation for Murray’s functional and dysfunctional family point
1) Cashmere argues that it’s the quality of the parents that matter rather than the quantity.
One family type is not better than another. E.g. children can still suffer mentally from two parents who are in conflict so some children can benefit from alternative family types like single parent families.
2) Walker argues that there is no evidence for the existence of the underclass and Murray’s ideas are exaggerated.
The underclass do not have a homogeneous culture. Not all single parent families adopt such negative views.
Example : not every single parent relies on welfare support many Single parents push their children to do better in education and socialise their children into shared norms and values.
