Marxist Perspective On The Family

Question 1

Inheritance of property - Engels

Answer 1

Augies people started to live in nuclear families when capitalist societies started

The earliest societies can be described as primitive communism
-Everyone shared the Memes of production and had no private properties
-People lived in tribes and there weren’t restrictions on sexual behaviour e.g. there were no families
Women became oppressed and a -mere instrument for the production of children - only free one capitalist ends as there will be no need for nuclear families as no one will own or inherit property

Question 2

Ideological functions- zaretsky

Answer 2

Ideology is a set of ideas and beliefs
Children are socialised to accept capitalism and be materialistic. We all except inequality of social classes as normal.
Parental authority over children accustoms them to the idea they always has to be someone in charge and prepares them to take order from there capitalists employers
Zaretsky-1976
there is an illusion that the private life of the family is quite separate from the economy and as a haven from the pressure of Work family cannot cope with the pressure of capitalism e.g. money worries are a source of arguments amongst couples also as based on the servitude of women /women do really all the hard work in the house

Question 3

A unit of consumption

Answer 3

The family plays a major role in generating profit for big businesses
Advertising urge to compete with friends for latest status symbols the target children who have pesto power
Children who don’t have the largest toys, clothes and gadgets are stigmatised and even disadvantages, e.g. having a laptop for school
Further the family also also produces and socialises the next generation for workers

Question 4

Evaluation of Marxist perspective on family
Strengths and weaknesses

Answer 4

Strength
Identify the ways in which women in particular are exploited by capitalism and their rules as production of children
They show the way in which the family act as consumers e.g. Christmas
Relevant to our materialistic culture and socialising children into it e.g. pest power constant updates to technology

Weaknesses
Functionalist argue Marxism ignores them real benefit and positive contribution of the family
Feminists argue that marches ism and estimates the importance of genre and shaping people experience of family
Gender is more important than social class
Post moderate argue that Marxism assume the nuclear family is the dominant type and ignores family diversity
Argues that capitalism un just overall it creates whether the happier societies
Engles assumptions about primitive communism are questionable