Family : New Right AO3

• +non-nuclear families are a problem

  Rodgers & Pryor (1998) Children from separated families are more likely to suffer behavioural problems, underachieve at school, become sexually active and pregnant in their teen years, smoke, drink and take drugs than children from two parent families.
• +non-nuclear families are a problem

  In 2017, children in single parent families are twice at risk of living in relative poverty than those in couple families (poverty rates are 47 per cent and 24 per cent respectively) according to Gingerbread.
• -New Right suggest that the tradition nuclear family is in decline and this is the cause of problems in modern society.This is not true: while the family type is changing, most adults still marry and have children, most children are reared by their two natural parents and most marriages continue until death. Although divorce has increased, most divorcees remarry.
• -New Right suggest that the traditional nuclear family is in decline and this is the cause of problems in modern society. Chester argues that the New Right exaggerate the extent of cohabiting and single parent families - most children still spend most of their lives in a nuclear family arrangement. Alan Walker (1990) argues against Murray - the evidence and data Murray used is unreliable: 60% of 'illegitimate' births are registered to a couple, not a single parent And most 'single parents' are in a secure relationship within three years.
• -New Right sociologists believe that sexual division of labour is natural and a woman's rightful place is raising the children while being supported financially by her husband.Feminists would argue that gender roles are socially determined rather than being fixed by biology. Traditional gender roles are oppressive to women and the reasons why divorce has grown is because without it many women end up being trapped in unhappy or abusive relationships.
• -New Right sociologists believe that sexual division of labour is natural and a woman's rightful place is raising the children while being supported financially by her husband. Ford & Millar (1998) found that most lone parents put family life as the most important priority in their life and say that their family are a source of love and pride.
• -New Right views suggest that single parents are welfare scroungersMost want to work but find it difficult to find jobs that are flexible enough, so they can balance work and child care. Anthony Heath suggests that 86% of those on benefits would like to have a job and Gingerbread report that 67.1% of single parents were working in 2017 which rises to 70% if the child is older than 12.
• -New Right views suggest that single parents are welfare scroungers. Single parent households have been the hardest hit household types by tax and benefit reforms since 2010 (Agostini 2014). Only 24% of single parents claim benefits, which has halved since 2013.
• -New Right views suggest that single parents are welfare scroungers. The Child Support Agency (closed down recently) were responsible for forcing absent fathers to financially support the mother so that she could work and not rely on benefits. Only 38% of single mothers receive any maintenance from the father and when collected the average amount was £34 per week (Gingerbread 2017).
• -‘Children raised by single parents are disadvantaged’, Research by Harkness (2014) on single mothers shows that family structure in itself has little effect on children's cognitive and emotional outcomes once other factors such as parental education are taken into account.
• -‘Children raised by single parents are disadvantaged’ ,Research by Crawford (2013) shows that marital status in itself has little causal impact on child outcomes, with differences more likely to be explained by 'selection effect ' (i.e. the difference between the types of people who choose to get married and those that choose to cohabit).
• -‘Children raised by single parents are disadvantaged’ ,Flouri & Buchanen (2002) found that children from single parent families who still had regular relationship with their father were more successful in gaining good qualifications at school and less likely to get in trouble with the police. Gingerbread report that 65% of children from single parent families have direct contact with the other parent; 85% of non-resident parents reported some

  contact.