3) Marxist Explanations Of Gender Ineqaulity

Question 1

Engels Marxist theory on gender inequality

Answer 1

• argues women’s subordinate position in society is a result of the ownership of private property and due to the development of the nuclear family
• the rise of class based society through capitalism has brought about gender inequalities which discriminate against women

The exploitation of the proletariat is mirrored in the household and in relationships between males and females (e.g. females rely on men for income (females have no economic power)

• nuclear family restricted women’s sexuality. Results in men exercise their power over females

Question 2

Evaluation of Engels

Answer 2

(-) the ideas presented by Engels and Marxists have been criticised because there is too much focus on class when looking at gender inequality

(-) postmodern sociologists have criticised Marx and Engels for being outdated and lacking temporal validity, as they fail to recognise gender roles have changed and have become more contemporary e.g. we now have ‘stay at home dads’

(+) supported by Parsons [functionalist] who argue nuclear family is important for society (Marx- for capitalism and passing on private property, Functionalist - for socialisation of children and stabilising adult personalities)

Question 3

Marxist feminist ideas about gender inequality

Answer 3

Marxists and Marxist feminists both agree that the role of women in society helped to support the capitalist system
- this is done through women performing unpaid housework at home, and also women being seen as a ‘reserve army of labour’
- females are not see as the main workers in society (males are the main workers), females seen as secondary and as a reserve for when there is an increase in supply and demand and businesses may need more workers
E.g. factors workers, when employees are busy (e.g. during holiday time, or when everyone is ill)

-Marxists feminists believe that social class affects the life chances of women.

• the family is a patriarchal institution and women’s position in the family as a wife and mother mean they’re exploited by capitalism
• gender inequality is maintained because women are encourages to accept the dominant ideology of the nuclear family

Marxist feminists argue women play a central role in the nuclear family which serves the needs of capitalism:
- women reproduce the next generation of workers who are socialised/ brainwashed to accept norms and values that benefit the capitalist system e.g. to be obedient and hardworking
Males brainwashed into workers, females brainwashed into housewives
- Feeley states that the nuclear family teaches children to submit to the patriarchal male authority

Question 4

Evaluation of Marxist Feminist ideas

Answer 4

(+) Sharpe studied working class girls in London and found in the 1970s many females main priorities were love, marriage and children. Evidence to show they are brainwashed into accepting their role as a housewife

(+) research evidence from Oakley also supports the idea that males and females are socialised from a young age by canalisation and manipulation to accept their future roles. E.g. girls play with kitchen sets and baby dolls accept their role as a housewife

(-) The ideas of Feeley (father is head of household and male dominance) is critics by evidence to show that in single parent families, single mothers are the head of the household.

Question 5

How does the role of housework benefit capitalist society?

Answer 5

• women do housework unpaid, whilst the man’s job he earns money
• the women is financially dependent on her husband, so the man has economic power
• Benston argues women have an important role in keep her husband happy, to ensure he works well at work to enrage capitalism runs smooth [links to warm bath theory]
• very unlikely males would challenge capitalism system as this may threaten his job and would threaten the nuclear family

Question 6

Evaluation on the role of housework in the capitalist system

Answer 6

(+) 2012 British Social Attitudes Survey by Park found that females spend 13 hours a week, and males spend 8 hours a week on housework chores

(-) In contemporary society females now take up work outside of the house, this leads to dual burden/ triple shift

(-) Hoschild argues more women are now in paid employment, and we now have ‘commercialised our intimate life as we pay people to do our housework’

Question 7

Women as ‘safety valves’ by Ansley

Answer 7

• woman soothe the stress and frustration of their worker husbands after a long day of work
• woman absorb their husbands anger like a sponge, this reinforces their powerlessness and oppression. So this creates gender inequality.
• bosses feel secure knowing their male workers have wives who can act as a safety valve, to ensure capitalism can continue

Question 8

Evaluation on Ansely’s research on women as ‘safety valves’

Answer 8

(+) Ansley’s ideas are supported by Leech who conducted a study on the dark side of the family. This could lead to domestic violence, as women absorb the husband frustration and anger due to the demands of the capitalist system

(-) Hochschild argues that women now take up paid employment, and we pay people to do housework. So women no longer are ‘safety valves’