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Cultural deprivation
A-Level Sociology
Taster days at Elliott Hudson College 2016
What is cultural deprivation?
Cultural deprivation refers to the process where an individual lacks the correct values that are needed to succeed in
life. It is suggested by some sociologists that only certain groups in society value the right things, this explains why
they are successful, as opposed to people who fail.
Who believes in the significance of cultural deprivation?
A group known as the ‘New Right’ focus on the importance of cultural deprivation when explaining social class
differences in our society. They argue that wealthy people (the middle class) are successful because they have the
correct attitudes and work ethic that has enabled them to achieve their goals. The poor, on the other hand, are not
as successful because they don’t value the same things and therefore tend to underachieve in comparison.
Part of the New Right view is that middle class people should be rewarded for their hard work and should not be
paying vast amounts of tax to support those who are less successful. As a consequence, the New Right believe that
giving people unemployment benefits and free public services makes them dependent on others to survive. This is
counter-productive as it makes claimants lazy and demotivated to become self-sufficient.
One of the most prominent New Right thinkers was Margaret Thatcher, the first female prime minister of the UK
from 1979-1990. Here is a quotation from one of her famous speeches:
“I think we've been through a period where too many people have been given to understand that if they have a
problem, it's the government's job to cope with it. 'I have a problem, I'll get a grant.' 'I'm homeless, the government
must house me.' They're casting their problem on society. And, you know, there is no such thing as society. There are
individual men and women, and there are families. And no government can do anything except through people, and
people must look to themselves first. It's our duty to look after ourselves and then, also to look after our neighbour.
People have got the entitlements too much in mind, without the obligations. There's no such thing as entitlement,
unless someone has first met an obligation." Margaret Thatcher 31st October 1987
What is the impact of cultural deprivation?
The underclass
Charles Murray’s research indicates that there is a group of people who suffer from cultural deprivation and are too
dependent on the government to help them survive. He refers to this group as the ‘Underclass’ as they cannot be
‘working class’ if they don’t participate in employment. Murray defines this group as ‘idle’ because they choose not
to work as a life-style choice and instead, steal a living from the benefits system. He also suggests that the
‘Underclass’ are the source of a lot of our social problems such as crime, educational underachievement and teenage
pregnancy which need to be tackled if society wants to progress.
What has caused cultural deprivation?
The New Right believe that cultural deprivation has been caused by a moral decline in our society which has been
indirectly supported by consecutive governments over recent generations. Traditional family values have been
eroded by a series of policies and social changes that have led to society losing its integrity. The New Right blame
things such as divorce, child protection policies, family diversity, the availability of contraception and the legalisation
of abortion as main reasons behind this change and believe that as a result, UK society has become immoral.
How should we deal with cultural deprivation?
Unfortunately, cultural deprivation cannot be cured by society as it is the fault of the individual. Criminals cannot be
reformed, instead, society must try to deter people from committing crime either by making it too difficult or by
imposing strict penalties on offenders who decide to break the law. A favoured approach to tackling crime from a
New Right perspective is zero-tolerance policing. This is where the police crackdown on minor offences to ensure
that everyone is aware of the power of the criminal justice system. This approach is seen by some people to be the
most effective form of crime prevention although this is highly debated as some people argue that this approach
could cause further rebellion if the police are too heavy-handed.
Is there an alternative view?
The New Right are often criticised for being too harsh when studying social class differences in society as they
assume that everyone has the opportunity to succeed, regardless of their circumstances. Some sociologists believe
that the main reason behind underachievement in society could be poverty which is not necessarily the fault of an
individual. As a consequence, the state’s support is essential to ensure that all members of a society have equal
opportunities to succeed and that can only be achieved through direct state intervention. Instead of demonising
people who are unemployed, we should help them as they have not had the same advantages as people from
wealthy backgrounds.
Questions
1. What values help people succeed in society?
2. Give two different examples of public services that are free to access
3. In your own words, summarise the view of Margaret thatcher with regards to the benefits system, using her
speech as evidence.
4. What did Charles Murray mean by the Underclass?
5. What do the New Right mean by a moral decline, what has caused it?
6. Explain what is meant by zero-tolerance policing
7. How have the New Right been criticised by other sociologists?