ipl-logo

Neoconservatives And Neoliberals View Of Single Mothers

640 Words3 Pages

Neoconservatives talk of a ‘golden era’ of the family, where the majority lived in a ‘nuclear family’ consisting of; a married heterosexual couple and their joint biological children. In this ideal, the man is the breadwinner, while the woman stays at home caring for the children and home. They view this family as the cornerstone of society and see this family structure as under threat and mourn its decline. The neo-conservatives especially view single mothers as ‘problematic’ for society and being a lone parent has been determined to be the strongest socio-demographic predictor of childhood injury and children going into care (Morgan 1998). While both the neoconservatives and Neoliberals view single mothers as taking advantage of the welfare state and not contributing to society and the economy. The discourse of the ‘welfare queen’, is evident political commentary, the media, and the public. These ideologies get fileted down and distorted into social service delivery, the education system, and the broader community (Jones-DeWeever, 2005; Roberts, 1999; cited in Ajandi 2011). …show more content…

Parsons (1959; cited in Haralambos & Holborn, 2000, p.509) argues that the rise of the nuclear family developed to best suit the needs of the economy at the time because it could more easily move to where the work was rather than a large extended family. This family structure would fit neoliberal policies of a free market and people being geographically mobile to find work rather than rely on the

Show More
Related
261 Words | 2 Pages

Throughout her article, Brianna Strumm continuously puts forth insightful examples and scenarios that suggest a higher level of thinking. Strumm consistently refers back to Harper and his “ideological stance on ‘the family’, for example, [which] effectively encourages women to stay home, dis-incentivizes women engaging in paid employment, and positions them to depend on men.” (100, Strumm, 2015) In making this statement, Strumm offers an opportunity for myself as the reader to critically consider my own life and whether or not the conservative views on being a woman has affected me in a negative way. Personally, I was able to apply her statements to my mother’s circumstances as a single parent.

Read More
342 Words | 2 Pages

Lastly, as a result of Margaret Thatcher in office, a new view of the family developed in the 1980s. The New Right is a group of intellectuals who consider the family as the foundation of all social policies. Thatcher and many Conservative politicians alleged that poor comportment by young people in schools or on the streets was resulting from a poor family background. They believed like functionalists that the perfect model of families was the nuclear family, and were particularly critical of single mothers; “the natural state should be 2 adults caring for their children” (Redwood, 1993).

Read More
1251 Words | 6 Pages

Nuclear families are centered on a couple which is married or lives together. The children in the family may be biological, adopted or any mix of dependent children. According to the American family they attribute the ‘perfect family’ as a nuclear family which in the eyes of the public appears perfect. It is important for any child as they grow up to have both parents and experience the family love from them and

Read More
604 Words | 3 Pages

The myth of the Welfare Queen Social structures and the way society is organized affect the behaviors and actions of humans. Throughout history have faced great deal of inequality and poverty. This social issue has led to many maladaptive behavior, lack of opportunities, and in many cases to an excuse for discrimination and racism. In the early 70s, the term known as “welfare queen” was introduced to the American society when referring to women’s who were living under poverty and were using and abusing the welfare system.

Read More
1542 Words | 7 Pages

Having been around for centuries, the American family is the oldest cultural institution. It would seem that by now, our notions and ideas about what constitutes a family should have been solidified. However, this is not the case as family life continues to evolve. The myth of the traditional, nuclear family, with a breadwinner father, stay-at-home mother, and two kids who live a generous middle-class lifestyle, has not always been the cornerstone of American society. In fact, it only emerged in the 1950s and since then has been the source of nostalgia for Americans and the ideal model of what a typical family should look like.

Read More
1285 Words | 6 Pages

Canadian Single mothers in the 19th Century The lack of a partner ideally makes single-parent families more susceptible to socio-economic and health challenges than two-parent families. Today, Canada is experiencing an increasing amount of single-parent families handled by women. Over the past century, Single mothers have been known to play two crucial roles in their families; as providers and nurturers. As a result, as they thrive to realize these functions, they encounter challenges such as mental issues, role overload and increased stress.

Read More
1025 Words | 5 Pages

The sociologist, Engels called this the ‘promiscuous horde’ in which there was no restrictions on sexual relationships so there was no family structure as such and as production developed so did societies class division. Production lead to the emergence of wealthy men who were able to secure and control the means of production because of their wealth. This changed led to patriarchal monogamous nuclear family. Engels view of the nuclear family was that it became essential for the inheritance of private property because men had to be sure that the children were legitimate heirs who could inherit from them. The inheritance of property helps maintain capitalism as it insures that those in power, with wealth stays in power.

Read More
748 Words | 3 Pages

Nowadays, Family is not quite a similar family in the past, is unnecessary to have both father and mother in each family. International Encyclopedia of Marriage and Family (2003) has given a definition that a single-parent family is where a parent lives with dependent children, either alone or in a larger household, without a spouse or partner. Father or mother who takes care a child alone has worked harder than ever and they won’t have time to care their children. Absolutely, it will lead their children into trouble. The effects of timeless single parents on their children are unsuccessful educated, bad behavior and lower socializing.

Read More
908 Words | 4 Pages

Everyone has heard the term “welfare queen”- often a young unemployed individual living off of government benefits while treating themselves to frequent luxuries like manicures and smartphones. Despite the myth of the pervasiveness of such individuals, the term brings into question who is deserving of charitable action in the first place. According to Linda Gordon, famed author of Women, the State, and Welfare, this debate in the United States over the obligation of the public to question who is deserving and who is not has lasted for centuries, emphasized in public dialogue in times like the Great Depression and Jim Crow (P13). In response to the Great Depression, the “New Deal” was created by FDR in order to achieve relief, recovery, and reform. This divide between who is deserving and undeserving has been successful in shaping public policy because the benefits for the undeserving pushed those same individuals to seek job opportunities instead of encouraging the poor to see welfare as "free".

Read More
1639 Words | 7 Pages

“The impact of single parenthood on teenage development” INTRODUCTION: A solitary parent family comprises of one parent and ward kids living in a similar family unit without the help of a co-parent (Mendes, 1976). Single guardians and their youngsters constitute a quickly expanding populace whose extraordinary needs have been inadequately perceived, occasionally examined and ineffectively served.(US Bureau of Census,1980 a).

Read More
997 Words | 4 Pages

They also claim that the “conventional family did not cover the majority of households and that family is only one of the options available”.

Read More
1150 Words | 5 Pages

A major change that has occurred in the Western family is an increased incidence in divorce. Whereas in the past, divorce was a relatively rare occurrence, in recent times it has become quite commonplace. This change is borne out clearly in census figures. For example thirty years ago in Australia, only one marriage in ten ended in divorce; nowadays the figure is more than one in three (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 1996: p.45). A consequence of this change has been a substantial increase in the number of single parent families and the attendant problems that this brings (Kilmartin, 1997).

Read More
1024 Words | 5 Pages

A major change that has occurred in the Western family is an increased incidence in divorce. Whereas in the past, divorce was a relatively rare occurrence, in recent times it has become quite commonplace. This change is borne out clearly in census figures. For example thirty years ago in Australia, only one marriage in ten ended in divorce; nowadays the figure is more than one in three (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 1996: p.45). A consequence of this change has been a substantial increase in the number of single parent families and the attendant problems that this brings (Kilmartin, 1997).

Read More
1193 Words | 5 Pages

Steven Ruggles stated that “A nuclear family is one which contains no relatives other than a husband, wife, and their children.”(1987). It is evident that the family pattern have change over centuries. Just before the Industrial Revolution and modernization the extended family was prominent in the 1650 in England. From the modernization theory, social thinkers have observed the family from the time when industrialization had arisen in the West then in other parts of the world…. The Industrial Revolution has change the structure and the environment of the family.

Read More
901 Words | 4 Pages

The structure of a family is considered a family support system involving two married individuals providing care and stability for their biological offspring. However, this two-parent, nuclear family has become less prevalent, and alternative family forms have become more common, The family is created at birth and establishes ties across generations. Those generations, the extended family of aunts, uncles, grandparents, and cousins, can hold significant emotional and economic roles for the nuclear family. This essay will be one that will critically discuss the factors that have shaped the family structure from the 1970s up to the year 2000. Over time, the traditional structure has had to adapt to very influential changes, including divorce

Read More

More about Neoconservatives And Neoliberals View Of Single Mothers

Related Topics

Open Document