Identify and explain two ways in which the family supports capitalism Flashcards
point 1
Marxists argue that the family supports capitalism as it performs many tasks in society maintain an unjust and exploitative system.
example 1
Zaretsky sees the nuclear family as a contributing factor to the capitalist system, he observed how housewives kept capitalism going, performing free household tasks in the home and socialising a future generation of workers (children) into a way of thinking that suited capitalist requirements. The family is also a unit of consumption. Families buy consumer goods that need to be purchased for capitalism to survive and for profits to be maintained.
explain 1
This shows that the family supports capitalism as it Reproduces a further generations of workers, Consumes the products of capitalism, Provides emotional support for capitalist workers and Socialises children to accept the inequalities of capitalist society.
point 2
Marxist feminists believe that in the family men take their anger and frustration that they have at working in a capitalist system, Rather than turning it against the system which produced it, this frustration is absorbed by the comforting wife.
example 2
Ansley argued that in the family When wives play their traditional role as takers of shit, they often absorb their husbands’ legitimate anger and frustration at their own powerlessness and oppression. With every worker provided with a sponge to soak up his possible revolutionary ire, the bosses rest more secure.
explain 2
This shows that the family supports capitalism as women are forced into being safety valve for the frustration produced in the husband in order to not threaten that capitalist system.
intro
Modern industrial societies have a capitalist economic system. Capitalism is based on the private ownership of economic institutions, some people (mainly Marxists) believe that the family supports capitalism.
