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the marxists perspective on the family - Coggle Diagram
the marxists perspective on the family
marxist sociologists see capitalist society as based on an unequal conflict between the two social classes.
the capitalist class
- who own the means of production and
the working class
- whose labour the capitalist exploit for profit.
marxists see all of societies institutions as helping to maintain class inequalities and capitalism. so therefore, to marxists the functions of the family are performed purely for the benefit of the capitalist system.
inheritance of property
marxists argue that the key factors determining the shape of all social institutions, including the family, is the mode of production - this is, who owns and controls societies productive forces. in modern society , it is the capitalist class that owns and controls these means of production. as the mode of production evloves, so does the family
Marx
called the earliest, classless society, 'primitive communism' where there was no private property and all members of society owned the means of production communally. there was no family in this stage of social development in which
Engels
called the '
promiscuous horde
' or tribe.
private property
as the forces of production developed, societies wealth increased and with this the development of private property increased. this change brought around the patriarchal monogomous nuclear family. in
engels
view, monogamy became essential because of the inheritance of private property. women sexuality became under male control and turned women into "a mere instrument for the production of children"
marxists argue that only the other throw of capitalism and private ownership of the means of production will women achieve liberation from patriarchal control. a classless society will be established in which the means of production are owned collectively, not privately. there will no longer be a need for a patriarchal family as there will be no need to have a means of transmitting private property down the generations
marxists have identified several functions that they see as fulfilling capitalism- the inheritance of property, ideological functions and a unit of consumption
ideological functions
marxists argue that the family today also performs key ideological functions for capitalism.
one way in which the family does this is by socialising children into the idea that hierarchy and inequality are inevitable. parental power over children accustoms them to the idea that there always has to be someone in charge and prepares them for a working life in which they will accept orders from their capitalist employers
according to
Zaretsky
the family also performs the ideological function by offering an apparent 'haven' from the harsh and exploitative world of capitalism outside, in which workers can be 'themselves' and have a private life.
however,
zaretsky
argues that this is largely an illusion where the family cannot meet its members needs. for example, it is based on the domestic servitude of women.
a unit of consumption
capitalism exploits the labour of the workers , making a profit by selling the products of their labour for more than it pays them to produce these commodities. the family therefore plays a major role in generating profits for capitalists, since it is a major profits for capitalists, since it is an important market for the sale of consumer goods
advertisers urge families to 'keep up with the jones' by consuming all the latest products.
the media targets children, who use 'pester power' to persuade parents to spend more.
children who lack the latest clothes or 'must have' gadgets are mocked and stigmatised by their peers
criticisms of the marxist perspective
marxists tend to assume that the nuclear family is dominant in capitalist society. this ignores that wide varieties of family structures are found in todays society
feminists
argue that the marxists emphasis on class and capitalism underestimates the importance of gender inequalities within the family. in the feminist view, these are more fundamental than class inequalities, and the family primarily serves the interests of men, not capitalism.
functionalist
argue that marxists ignore the very real benefits that the family provides its members