What is the New Right view about the family and education in relation to social stability?

• A. The nuclear family is essential for social stability and advocate policies to support parental responsibility to reduce social problems.
• B. They argue that education should be entirely school-based with minimal family involvement.
• C. They believe extended family structures are more important than the nuclear family for social stability.
• D. They deny any link between family structure and social stability.

Answer: (A)

The main concept being tested is how the New Right link family structure and schooling to social stability, with a strong belief that the nuclear family and parental responsibility are key to social order.

The best answer reflects the New Right view that the nuclear family is the most stable and reliable unit for socialising children. It argues that two-parent, heterosexual families provide stable economic conditions, clear role models, and appropriate supervision, all of which help individuals grow into responsible adults. Because they see welfare systems as creating dependency and weak family bonds, they advocate policies that encourage marriage and parental responsibility as a way to reduce social problems like crime and anti-social behaviour. In education, while schools are important, the emphasis is on reinforcing values and norms that families transmit, with parents playing a crucial role in their children’s education and behaviour.

The other options don’t fit this perspective. Seeing education as entirely school-based with minimal family involvement goes against the emphasis on parental responsibility and family influence. Valuing extended family over the nuclear family contradicts the New Right’s focus on the traditional two-parent nuclear family as the stabilising force. Denying any link between family structure and social stability directly contradicts the core claim that family structure underpins social order.