new right inequality explanations

Social Class Inequalities

• Inequality must occur to encourage competition (Saunders)

• If work is done to try and equalise society, individuals become morally complacent (Murray)

• There is no incentive to work hard without inequality in society due to the welfare state (Marsland)

• Those from higher social class groups are part of the cognitive elite so do better than those from lower social classes (Herrnstein and Murray)

Saunders (Social Class)

Inequality must occur to encourage competition

• argues that a society based on social equality would only be possible if considerable force were used EX. threat of death or

imprisonment

• it is right and just that everyone enjoys legal equality

• SAUNDERS rejects the equality of outcomes

• a degree of inequality is desirable and functional in order to motivate people to compete, as long as everyone has an equal opportunity to take part in the competition - Saunders is critical of attempts by left-wing governments (for

example, Labour governments in the UK) to try and equalise society - For example, taxing the rich to pay for benefits or programmes to help the poor or supposedly disadvantaged simply interferes with market forces and reduces the incentive of the rich to invest in developing businesses

Murray (Social Class)

If work is done to try and equalise society, individuals become morally complacent

Murray (1984) argued that US government policies of providing welfare benefits for groups such as the unemployed and lone-parent families were creating a dependency culture whereby poor people were given no motivation to better themselves - for example, by trying to find paid work - as they were allowed to remain dependent on the state.

The result was the creation of an underclass of people trapped at the bottom of society. The underclass were not only a drain on taxpayers paying for their benefits but also tended to poorly socialise their children, meaning that they generally underachieved at school and turned to crime. Murray visited Britain and argued that there were signs that Britain too was developing an underclass (1989). He suggested that rising rates of births outside marriage, crime and youth unemployment were all signs that the irresponsible attitudes found in the underclass were infecting certain neighbourhoods in the UK.

t is unclear who exactly is responsible for the alleged problems created by the underclass. Sometimes Murray blames groups such as the unemployed and lone parents for behaving irresponsibly - for example, in refusing to work or by having children whom they cannot afford to support.

At other times he blames the welfare state for encouraging this kind of behaviour by giving benefits to those who are undeserving. Murray's work only focuses on those at the bottom end of society, the poorest. He makes no connection between the wider pattern of social class inequality and the growing gap between the rich and poor in trying to understand why poverty is a growing problem in both Britain and the USA.

Marsland (Social Class)

There is no incentive to work hard without inequality in society due to the welfare state

-Focus on the concept of

dependency culture, which he believes is created and sustained by excessive welfare state

interventions - critical of the welfare state, undermines

personal responsibility and

perpetuates social inequality by fostering dependency.

• The welfare state, rather than alleviating poverty and inequality, has a counterproductive effect by creating a cycle of dependency. - welfare benefits discourage

individuals from seeking

employment/ becoming

self-sufficient.

-reliant on state benefits, rather than striving for independence through work and personal effort. This culture of dependency, he argues, erodes traditional values such as self-reliance, ambition, and responsibility

• Dependency culture has broader societal consequences. He claims it leads to a decline in moral

standards, weakens the family structure, and contributes to social problems such as crime, substance abuse, and

educational failure (MORAL ISSUE)

• welfare systems incentivise reliance on state support rather than fostering personal

responsibility, work ethic, and initiative - traps people in poverty + prevents social mobility.

Herrnstein and Murray (Social Class)

Those from higher social class groups are part of the cognitive elite so do better than those from lower social classes

• intelligence, often measured by IQ, plays a big role in determining people's education, income, and overall social status

• society is more divided based on intelligence = highly intelligent individuals with better access to opportunities and resources - that intelligence can influence educational and job opportunities, which can lead to better

socioeconomic status.

Gender Inequalities

• Single mothers are unable to socialise their children into shared values (Murray)

• Matriarchal households encourage criminal behaviour (Dennis and Erdos)

• Women are genetically designed to be caregivers and should feel privileged to have this role (Schlafly)

• A woman's role in the family is vital to a smooth running society (Supported by Thatcher)

Murray (Gender)

Single mothers are unable to socialise their children into shared values

-says that rising birth rates outside of marriage, crime and youth

unemployment were all signs that irresponsible attitudes in the

underclass were affecting certain neighbourhoods. Murray advocates the nuclear family, blames single parent mothers and believes its functional for women to fulfil the housewife role. This means that women struggle to leave the

traditional role in the home and lack opportunities if they don't meet societal norms, and are criticised.

Dennis and Erdos (Gender)

Matriarchal households encourage criminal behaviour

• undermine traditional family structures

• traditional structures prioritise male authority and stable, two-parent families, which they see as the foundation of social order and the proper upbringing of children. - focus on fatherlessness and the decline of paternal involvement in child-rearing negatively impact boys' development and societal cohesion.

• WEAKENED ROLE OF MEN

• In matriarchal backgrounds, men are marginalised, and their roles as fathers and authority figures are diminished. This, they argue,

destabilised traditional family values and harms children's upbringing, particularly boys

• IMPACT IN CHILDREN

• children raised in homes without a strong paternal presence are at a higher risk of poor educational outcomes, behavioral issues, and delinquency. They claim that

fatherless households contribute to a cycle of social dysfunction, poverty, and crime.

• SOCIAL AND MORAL DECLINE - rise of feminist movements and the acceptance of matriarchal family structures contribute to a broader cultural shift away from traditional values, leading to moral decline and the breakdown of societal order.

Wrote in direct criticism to the feminist movement towards gender inequality

Schlafly (Gender)

Women are genetically designed to be caregivers and should feel privileged to have this role

• Wrote in direct criticism to the feminist movement towards gender inequality - women should not be fighting to go to work.

• mother + wife = most fulfilling role they will perform in their lifetime

Supported by Thatcher (Gender)

• upheld traditional values

• EMPHASIS ON FAMILY -

importance of the family as the bedrock of society. She believed that a stable family, typically with a male breadwinner and female

homemaker, was vital to a healthy, functioning society.

• SUPPORT FOR DOMESTIC ROLES - Thatcher once said, "I owe everything in my life to my upbringing and the good values of home and family. - belief in women's roles as wives and mothers, centred around nurturing and caring for children.

-Thatcher's policies generally did not focus on advancing gender equality. Her government pursued

conservative economic reforms (privatisation, deregulation, and cuts to welfare) that had mixed effects on women

-IMPACT ON WOMEN - economic policies, which emphasised individual responsibility and a reduced welfare state, arguably hit working-class women hardest, especially those relying on social services or working in public sector jobs

• NO GENDER-BASED REFORMS - did not promote policies to address wage inequality, childcare, or other issues that disproportionately affected women, as she viewed these through the lens of broader

economic and individual

responsibility rather than

gender-specific issues.

Ethnic Inequalities

• Cultural differences contribute to ethnic inequalities (Modood et al)

• Inequalities faced by ethnic minorities are due to rising rates of unemployment (Murray)

• Lone parenting results in ethnic minority children becoming more likely to partake in criminal activities (Sewell)

• Inequalities are not a result of structural racism but rather the result of cultural values, personal responsibility, and economic freedom.(Sowell)

Modood (Ethnicity)

Cultural differences contribute to ethnic inequalities

• Modood et al stated how some ethnic groups face language

barriers which reduce their

employment chances. They found that:

• 3/5 of Bangladeshi women did not speak English.

• Half Pakistani women did not speak English.

• 1/5 of Pakistani and

Bangladeshi men did not

speak English.

• South Asian women are frequently portrayed as passive victims and they tend to have poorer

educational qualifications than men.

• Pakistani and Bangladeshi women have the lowest economic activity although a lot of this may be hidden

in the form of 'home working' and these disadvantages often linked to cultural traditions

• Purdah (seclusion of women) and - Izzat (family honour).

Murray (Ethnicity)

Inequalities faced by ethnic minorities are due to rising rates of unemployment

• there is a high proportion of black boys raised in lone parent families. Boys with a lack of father figure resulted in turning to the media as a role media, meaning that young boys looked up to rappers with a gangster and hip hop style which encouraged a macho form of masculinity. Sewell blames black fathers for deserting families, blames black youths for creating a subculture of failure and blames the black community for failing to support black people. People are products of their socialisation.

Sewell (Ethnicity)

Lone parenting results in ethnic minority children becoming more likely to partake in criminal activities

• high proportion of black boys are raised in lone-parent families

• In 2001, 57% of black families with dependent families were headed by lone parents, compared to 25% of white families. As a result, many black boys lacked the male role model and the discipline provided by a

Sowell (Ethnicity)

Inequalities are not a result of structural racism but rather the result of cultural values, personal responsibility, and economic freedom

Sowell's views reflect key New Right principles, such as the emphasis on individual responsibility, scepticism of government intervention, and the belief that cultural factors play a major role in social outcomes. He acknowledges the existence of discrimination but downplays its significance relative to what he sees as more critical factors like cultural values, personal responsibility, and economic freedom. His work is influential in conservative circles but is also controversial for dismissing systemic and structural explanations for ethnic disadvantage.

Sowell states there are 4 key areas that cause ethnic inequalities:

Cultural factors

Government intervention

Inaccurate comparisons of different ethnic groups successes