Family diversity - the New Right

NR - modernist perspective

• Modern society has fairly fixed/predictable structure

• One best family type (nuclear) that slots into afore mentioned structure

  • Maintains structure by performing essential functions

NR - ideal family type and role in society

• Conservative and anti-feminist

  • Opposed to family diversity

• 1 normal family type that is natural and based on fundamental biological differences: patriarchal nuclear family

  • Married

  • Dependent children

  • Trad. division of labour (like functionalist instrumental/expressive)

• PNF’s role in society

  • Place of refuge

  • Cornerstone of society

NR - family types that are seen as dysfunctional

• Lone parents

• Cohabiting couples

• Same-sex marriage

• The decline of PNF and growth of family diversity seen as cause of many social problems

NR - lone mothers

• Lone mothers can’t effectively discipline their children

• Leave boys without an adult role model

  • Causes educational failure, delinquency and therefore social instability

• Often poorer and are therefore burden on welfare state and taxpayers

Beson (2006) - family breakdowm in cohabiting couples

• Over the first 3 years of a baby’s life, the rate of family breakdown is 20% in cohabiting couples and 6% in married couples

• Only marriage can provide a stable environment (supports NR view)

Benson (2010;2011) - marriage as more stable

• Couples more stable when married

  • Have a lower rate of divorce than cohabitation breakups

• Marriages more stable as:

  • Deliberate commitment and responsibility

• Cohabitation less stable as:

  • Allows for avoidance of commitment and responsibility

Conservative politicians - views on family and diversity

• Family and society viewed as broken - social disintegration is causing damage to children

• Can only be fixed by return to trad. values (marriage)

• Laws and policies allow easy access to divorce/SS marriage, welfare is easily accessible

  • This undermines the PNF, so the govt needs to encourage marriage through policies

CRITICISMS of NR: Feminist

Oakley (1997)

• Roles in marriages not fixed by biology

  • Cross-cultural studies show variation in roles men and women play in families

• NR view is a negative reaction to feminist campaigns for gender equality

CRITICISMS of NR: Feminist

• PNF favoured by NR is based on patriarchal oppression of women, which is one of the fundamental causes of gender inequality

• PNF:

  • Prevents women from working

  • Keeps women financially dependent on men

  • Denies women an equal say in decision making

CRITICISMS of NR

Lone parent families

• No evidence that children in lone parent families are more likely to be delinquent than those in a 2 parent family of the same class

CRITICISMS of NR

Cohabitation

• Cohabitation seen as many as a temporary phase before marriage

• Depends on meaning of relationship to those involved

CRITICISMS of NR: Smart (2001)

Cohabitation and social class

• Rates of cohabtation higher among poor social groups

  • Can be concluded that poverty causes the breakdown of relationships, not the decision to not get married