New Right view of the family

• conservative
• pro nuclear family
• anti feminist
• beleive the family is under threat
• good family - wife responsible for socialisation and husband is principle breadwinner
• this type of nuclear family is the cornerstone of society
• opposed to family diversity
• marriage is the basis for a stable environment to bring up children

Amato - single parent famalies are at risk of poverty, educational failure and crime and health issues

Murray - divorce, welfare state and open homosexuality are cause for concern. Increase in dependancy culture. Blames single parent women for the rise of a normless underclass of criminal male teenagers. Sees this family type as unnatural and unhelpful.

New Right disapprove of mums going to work. Family should be a woman's first priority

• ignores domestic violence
• ignores that diversity could be good for individuals and society
• Oakley says roles are not fixed by biology
• Feminists argue the family oppresses women
• no evidence single parent famalies are part of the dependancy culture or that children are likely to be delinquent
• Feminism may be outdated. Feminisation of the economy, women have choice. Male/female relationships are based on love, not exploitation
• Chester argues the extent of diversity has been exaggerated. Rise in the neo conventional family - wife works but its not a bad thing
• Weeks argues that we have 'chosen families' likely to be our friends. Shift in attitudes and although the nuclear family is still norm, sexuality and family types are a personal choice
• Hareven - lots of flexibilty and variation in peoples lives

Stacey - women have chosen family types they like and gay and lesbian famalies now get social acceptance. Some extended families connected by divorce - woman and ex in laws. Emphasis on individual choice. However ideology of ' ideal' nuclear family makes it harder to be in different family types.

Criticised for exaggerating diversity and extent of choice.

• assume traditional nuclear family is dominant
• structural theorists beleive members are manipulated by society to perform certain functions. But people place different meanings on their relationships and post modernists argue people have a choice over the family they have