Theoretical perspectives Families/Households: New Right

New Right Perspective on Families and Households

Overview of New Right View

The New Right perspective on families is deeply rooted in traditional values, idealising the nuclear family and traditional gender roles.
This view asserts that societal problems result from a decline in traditional family structures and moral standards.

Key New Right thinkers and theories

Charles Murray is a prominent New Right sociologist. He suggests that social policies encouraging single parenthood have led to a dependence on welfare and have disrupted societal norms.
Patricia Morgan, another New Right scholar, maintains that the traditional nuclear family is beneficial for children’s welfare and that non-traditional family structures lead to social problems.

New Right and the Ideal Family

The New Right view upholds the nuclear family – a married couple with biological children – as the ‘ideal’ family structure.
They believe that fathers should play the instrumental role (economic provision) and mothers the expressive role (caregiver), based on biological differences.

New Right, Family Breakdown and Social Policies

According to the New Right, divorce, single parenthood, and cohabitation contribute to the ‘decline’ in the family unit, leading to social problems such as crime, poor educational performance, and dependency on welfare.
They argue that social policies should be aimed at promoting the traditional nuclear family and discouraging alternatives.

Critiques of New Right View on Families

Critics argue that the New Right view is overly idealistic and doesn’t reflect the diversity of family forms in contemporary society.
It has been critiqued for blaming societal problems on the victims (single parent families) instead of addressing structural issues.
Critics also claim that the New Right view is ethnocentric as it overlooks family forms other than the traditional western nuclear family.

New Right and Changing Family Forms

The New Right perceives changes in family forms, such as rise in single-parent households or same-sex families, as damaging to society.
They are concerned that these changes lead to a decline in moral standards and the disintegration of social order.