The New Right Perspective

1. The New Right Perspective

2. Single parent family Los Angeles Riots 1992 What is the connection between the two pictures?

3. A breakdown of the nuclear family was among the causes of recent riots in Los Angeles in which over fifty people had died. “I believe the lawless social anarchy which we saw is directly related to the breakdown of family structure, personal responsibility and social order in too many areas of our society,” May 1992, Vice President Dan Quayle

4. “Single parent families are the biggest social problem of our day.” John Redwood, British MP

5. Some statistics • Since 1971 the proportion of all people living in "traditional" family households of married couples with dependent children has fallen from 52% to 37%. • Nearly a quarter of children lived with only one parent last year and nine out of 10 of those households were headed by lone mothers. • David Green, director of the Institute for the Study of Civil Society, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "If you take almost any measure - how well children do in school, whether they turn to crime, whether they commit suicide, etc - it's better to have two parents. • "It's also the biggest disadvantage of lone parenthood that you're much more likely to be poor."

6. http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/womanshour/ram2006_38_fri_01.ram • http://search.bbc.co.uk/cgi-bin/search/results.pl?q=lone+parenting&uri=%2Fradio4%2Fwomanshour%2Ffamily_2006_01.shtml What are the government doing about Lone parenting?

7. The New Right Perspective This is similar to Functionalism in that they both celebrate the positive side of family life. (Both Feminism and Marxism tend to stress the oppressive and exploitative nature of families.) The New Right are a group of politicians (John Redwood; Margaret Thatcher) and Sociologists who see the family as being under threat from government policies. They support traditional "family values", which can be summarised as Two-parent, heterosexual couples are the "natural" or ideal way to raise children Traditional patterns of power and division of labour within the family are best for family members and society. The man should be in charge, and be the breadwinner, whereas the woman should be the child-rearer and home-maker. Families should not be reliant on the government for welfare; they should "look after their own". A commitment to traditional, often religious morality, especially in matters of sexuality and reproduction. No sex outside marriage, no gays & lesbians, no single parents!

8. New Right theorists are therefore keen on government policies that strengthen self-reliance for the traditional two-parent family. • Murrayargues that the UK is developing an underclass which is associated with crime, unemployment, and educational failure. • This is because of the generosity of the welfare state, which provides handouts in the form of benefits and housing to single parents.

9. Read worksheet • Summarize into key words/ picture summaries

10. Applying New Right Perspective today In pairs brainstorm on separate sheets of paper What would the New Right say about the • C.S.A.? • About Child Benefit? • About cohabitation now being more popular than marriage? • How would they argue against the Marxists on Domestic Violence, • or the Feminists on Gender Socialisation • or Working Women?

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