Gender inequalities: Marxist

Question 1

What did Engels say about gender inequalities ?

Answer 1

• Marxist viewpoint
• women are subordinate because of ownerships of private property and the nuclear family
• capitalism is the cause for inequality as the bourgeoise and proletariat roles translate to male and female roles in the family
• under a capitalist society men will have control over women
• the idea of the nuclear family has led to women’s sexuality being restricted and enforced monogamy

Question 2

What do neo-marxists say about gender inequalities ?

Answer 2

• social structure is based on the dominance of some groups
• conflict isn’t just based on social class
• conflict is on a wider level and amongst all other groups
• e.g. parents/children, husband/wives, young/old

Question 3

What are the evaluations of the marxist view on gender inequalities ?

Answer 3

• over-emphasis on class and economic factors
• focuses on macro issues rather than small interactions which help understand relationships (social action theory)
• accused of creating a conspiracy theory - there is no proof of their claims
• outdated - postmodernists believe that marxists don’t recognise changes to gender roles over the last 50 years