new right - family

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key ideas

Nuclear family seen as cornerstone of society however, theres a concern with its decline as it seems to be fragmenting. This is resulting to families breaking down and becoming diverse, most of which being single parent families. This has resulted to the father not being attached to the children.

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causes

breakdown of traditional values

Overgenerous welfare payments

Influence of feminism - women now working so not needing to rely on a husband for money

Sexual permissiveness - births outside marriage

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consequences

Charles Murray:

  • The family begins to not perform significant functions
  • Inadequate socialisation - this leads to underachievement at school and higher crime
  • people start depending on the welfare too much - bad for the economy as more people unemployed - do not need work when have the welfare. This affects the family as children arent brought up with correct values and role models.
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solutions

  • Stop welfare payments - change government policy
  • Give married couples with children more money or rewards
  • Return to traditional family values
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criticisms

1. They blame the victims. For example, if someone loses their husband/wife it is not their fault they are a single parent. They could also experience domestic violence.

2. secularisation. People no longer religious meaning women feel they can get divorced in comparison to the past

3. exaggerate on decline of the nuclear family as there are still a lot of people in them, O'Brien says that at some point in peoples lives they've lived or will live in a nuclear family

4. feminists believe traditional family roles are oppressive to women, divorce is good if being abused and gender roles are socially determined - not fixed at birth

5. most single parents work as they can then afford childcare and may also be in an extended family so therefore, get childcare for free

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