Marxist perspective of the family

Question 1

What is the marxist perspective?

Answer 1

functions of the family are performed to benefit capitalism

families meet the needs of a capitalist system

(unlike functionalism, it doesn’t benefit every individual as working-class are exploited, and so isn’t truly a two-way positive)

Question 2

What is meant by inheritance regarding families?

Answer 2

Engels (1884) - u/c + w/c families pass on wealth through generations, this is called inheritance as individuals will inherit money and property from their relatives when they die

• monogamy became essential in this because men had to be sure their children were definitely theirs before they left their fortunes to them, makes women instruments for production aka capitalism + w/c need for staying rich causes patriarchy

Question 3

What is meant by ideological functions regarding families?

e.g primary socialisation

Answer 3

• families justify inequality
• families socialise children to accept that hierarchy and inequality are inevitable
• parental authority = makes them accept that there’s always someone in charge (e.g boss in working life)

Question 4

What is meant by unit of consumption regarding families?

source of profit for capitalism

Answer 4

• families are good markets for the sale of consumer goods that benefit capitalism:

• advertisers use families to consume all the latest products
• the media targets children who use ‘pester-power’ to persuade parents to spend more
• bullying, stigmatisation, etc mean that children desire the ‘must have’ new gadgets and clothes

Question 5

Why do oppressed workers accept their oppression according to zaretsky?

Answer 5

the family is the one place that the working class men can be in power - when he gets home he is taken care of and women are ‘takers of shit’ -allows him to relieve frustration about low status in work and to accept exploitation

Question 6

Criticisms of the marxist perspective

-) doesn’t explain families and the ones that flourish in non-capitalist societies (e.g communist countries

Answer 6

(-) assumes nuclear family is dominant in capitalist society and ignores other family structures in today's society - ignores women workers
(-) the emphasis of class and capitalism underestimates the importance of gender inequalities e.g families serve men more than capitalism 
(-) too negative, functionalists argue that marxists ignore the very real benefits that the family provides (e.g teaches of norms + values and stable adult sexual relationships)