Conservative governments

• Conservative governments (1979-97)

  Greatly influenced by NR

  • preference for traditional nuclear families
  • encouraging individual and parental responsibilities
  • encouraging mothers to stay at home
  • concern that people may abuse welfare system > encourage family diversity and deviant behaviour
• Conservative governments 1979-97 policies

  • Child Support Agency = absent fathers paid maintenance for upbringing of children, money can support lone parent families as opposed to government
  • Section 28 = prevented government from promoting homosexuality and schools shouldn't teach it, unacceptable compared to nuclear family > promote traditional ideologies and attack family diversity
  • Back to basics = put forward traditional family values > didn't agree with family diversity increasing
• Evaluation of conservative governments

  • Marxists = NR justify policies that benefit ruling class > wanted to cut state spending, won't get taxed further, able to stay rich
  • Liberal feminists = people shouldn't restrict teaching on homosexuality, goes against inequality