Lone and non-married parenthood Flashcards
what is the New right point?
blamed social problems on non-working lone parenthood, particularly in ethnic minority families ;
influenced Ronald Reagan’s critique of ‘welfare queens’ and John Major’s call for a ‘back to basics’ family.
who is the new right’s evidence?
Hernstein and Murray (1994)
what did Hernstein and Murray (1994)
argue? 1st point
social problems like crime are caused biologically by low intelligence amongst ‘a new rabble’ underclass.
what did Hernstein and Murray (1994)
argue? 2nd point
the welfare state expanded this ‘new rabble’ by destroying the nuclear family and creating lone parenthood.
what did Hernstein and Murray (1994)
argue? 3rd point
crime because families lacked paternal discipline and appropriate male role models,
what is the analysis for the new rights?
policies to reduce lone parenthood include the UK’s ‘two child cap’, this was introduced in 2017 to limit child benefits for large families.
policies to rebuild the nuclear family include the ‘marriage allowance’ which reduces taxes for couples that are legally married.
How did Graves evaluate Hernsetin and Murray?
Joseph L. Graves (1995), have argued the work is an example of scientific racism because it misuses science to promote a false hierarchy of race by disregarding social factors.
what is the feminist point?
rise of lone parents and non-parenting is because of women’s greater freedom to break from the patriarchal structures of the family and marriage.
who is the feminist evidence?
Eve Worth (2022)
what did worth find? 1st point
the welfare state and particularly education increased the power of women and therefore led to lone parents and non-parenting.
what did worth find 2nd point?
educated women were more likely to use ‘family planning’ strategies to self-direct their fertility, primarily through contraception.
how did education and employment opportunities stop women from being pregnant or mothers?
education allowed them to understand how to manage sexual relationships and avoid pregnancy.
employment opportunities created from their education made them more likely to plan for a life beyond the traditional homemaker role of wife and mother
who is the feminist analysis?
Ann Oakley (1974)
what did oakley find?
only 15% of husbands had a high level of participation in housework and only 25% had a high level of participation in childcare.
men tended to participate in the more pleasurable parts of childcare, like doing sporting or cultural activities. In contrast, women continued to do the less enjoyable childcare like cooking and cleaning.
what did oakley conclude?
men’s minimal involvement in childcare leads women to parent alone.
Similarly, the fundamentally unequal division of labour leads women to not become parents at all.
