Assess the new right view on the role of the family in society (30 marks)
New right view- economic role of the family New right view- gender roles support
- Nuclear family ensures economic function
self-reliance and reduces state - Traditional roles are functional and
dependency stabilising
- Murray- welfare leads to a - Parsons- instrumental and
dependency culture and underclass expressive roles are biologically
- Lone parent families are linked to based and beneficial
crime and unemployment - Gender roles reduce welfare
- Feminists argue it reinforces reliance and provide order
patriarchy - Radical feminists say this traps
- Marxists say it shifts burden to women in oppression
families to benefit capitalism - Marxist feminists such as Ansley see
women as emotional scapegoats for
marxism
New right view- family as moral foundation Functionalist support
- Nuclear family teaches discipline, - Functionalists support the new right
respect and values view of the family
- Murray- family breakdown leads to - parsons - family performs primary
social issues socialisation and stabilises adult
- Two parent families raise well personalities
adjusted, law abiding citizens - Teaches shared norms (value
- Postmodernists argue that diverse consensus)
families also teach morals - Aligns with the NR view of social
- Ethnocentric view order but is seen as too
- It ignores valid alternatives to the deterministic and ignores change +
nuclear family diversity
Criticism- personal life perspective Criticism- diversity and modernity
- NR ignores the importance of - Modern families reflect individual
chosen families and individual choice, not moral decline
meaning - Postmodernity- family diversity is a
- Smart- family is about personal positive sign of freedom
bonds, not structure - Same sex couples, single parents +
- Fictive kin, step families, found childfree households are normalised
families ad cohabitating couples can - NR view is outdated and rigid
offer love and stability - Modern society values flexibility and
- Reduces complex relationships to a inclusion
rigid ideal but recognises valid
alternatives
New right view- economic role of the family New right view- gender roles support
- Nuclear family ensures economic function
self-reliance and reduces state - Traditional roles are functional and
dependency stabilising
- Murray- welfare leads to a - Parsons- instrumental and
dependency culture and underclass expressive roles are biologically
- Lone parent families are linked to based and beneficial
crime and unemployment - Gender roles reduce welfare
- Feminists argue it reinforces reliance and provide order
patriarchy - Radical feminists say this traps
- Marxists say it shifts burden to women in oppression
families to benefit capitalism - Marxist feminists such as Ansley see
women as emotional scapegoats for
marxism
New right view- family as moral foundation Functionalist support
- Nuclear family teaches discipline, - Functionalists support the new right
respect and values view of the family
- Murray- family breakdown leads to - parsons - family performs primary
social issues socialisation and stabilises adult
- Two parent families raise well personalities
adjusted, law abiding citizens - Teaches shared norms (value
- Postmodernists argue that diverse consensus)
families also teach morals - Aligns with the NR view of social
- Ethnocentric view order but is seen as too
- It ignores valid alternatives to the deterministic and ignores change +
nuclear family diversity
Criticism- personal life perspective Criticism- diversity and modernity
- NR ignores the importance of - Modern families reflect individual
chosen families and individual choice, not moral decline
meaning - Postmodernity- family diversity is a
- Smart- family is about personal positive sign of freedom
bonds, not structure - Same sex couples, single parents +
- Fictive kin, step families, found childfree households are normalised
families ad cohabitating couples can - NR view is outdated and rigid
offer love and stability - Modern society values flexibility and
- Reduces complex relationships to a inclusion
rigid ideal but recognises valid
alternatives
