The New Right Perspective on Family Structure and Family Values
The New Right is a political and sociological perspective, associated with thinkers such as Charles Murray, that favours the traditional nuclear family, a married heterosexual couple with a male 'breadwinner' and a female 'homemaker', as the family form that best benefits children and society.
Method
- Identify the New Right as a political-sociological perspective, distinct from, though similar in some ways to, functionalism, since it adds a moral and political argument for the traditional nuclear family, not just a claim about its social functions.
- State the core New Right claim: the married, heterosexual, two-parent nuclear family with a breadwinner/homemaker division of labour best supports children and social stability.
- Apply the named concept of Charles Murray's 'underclass' and his welfare dependency argument as the mechanism by which the New Right explains family change, generous welfare reducing incentives to marry or hold a job.
- Contrast this with the functionalist view, which supports the nuclear family on the grounds of social function, to show what is distinctive about the New Right's added moral/political and anti-welfare argument.
- Use named critiques, the feminist critique of the New Right's traditional gender roles, and Chester's point that diversity is not the same as decline, for evaluation.
- For a 'discuss'/'assess' question, weigh the New Right's evidence and reasoning for the traditional family against feminist and pluralist criticisms before reaching a conclusion.
Worked example
Explain the New Right view of lone-parent families, and give one criticism of this view.
- State the New Right's core position: the traditional, married, two-parent nuclear family is the best environment for raising children.
- Explain their view of lone-parent families: the New Right, particularly Charles Murray, argues lone-parent families can be harmful because they may lack a father figure providing discipline, a role model and financial support.
- Add the welfare argument: Murray argues generous state welfare has made it easier for lone parents to manage financially, which he claims reduces the incentive for couples to marry or stay together, contributing to what he calls an 'underclass'.
- State a criticism: critics argue this blames lone parents and welfare for problems that may have other causes, such as poverty or unemployment, and ignores evidence that children in stable lone-parent families can do well.
- Conclude: the New Right's view links family structure closely to social order, but critics see this as an ideological judgement rather than a neutral, evidence-based conclusion.
Practice questions
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Q1Which family form does the New Right see as ideal?Show answer
Answer: The traditional nuclear family, based on a married heterosexual couple with a breadwinner and a homemaker.
Q2Name the sociologist associated with the concept of an 'underclass'.Show answer
Answer: Charles Murray.
Q3What does Murray mean by a 'dependency culture'?Show answer
Answer: A situation in which generous state welfare reduces people's incentive to work, marry or take full financial responsibility for their children, because state support meets their needs instead.
Q4How does the New Right view lone-parent families?Show answer
Answer: Often negatively, arguing they may lack a father figure and can be linked to poorer outcomes for children, especially where supported by generous welfare rather than a stable two-parent household.
Q5Give one criticism of the New Right perspective.Show answer
Answer: Feminists criticise it for promoting traditional, unequal gender roles, while others argue it unfairly blames lone parents and welfare for problems that may have other causes, such as poverty.
Q6In what way is the New Right perspective similar to functionalism?Show answer
Answer: Both support the traditional nuclear family, seeing it as important for socialising children and providing social stability.
Q7In what way does the New Right go further than functionalism?Show answer
Answer: The New Right adds a moral and political argument, including opposition to generous state welfare, rather than simply describing the functions the nuclear family performs.
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a GCSE Sociology exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
Explain two New Right criticisms of state welfare provision for lone-parent families.
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'The New Right perspective on the family is outdated and unfairly blames lone parents.' Discuss this view.
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