Marxist Theories of the Family Flashcards
What did Engels believe about the family in the era of primitive communism?
Family did not exist - people had multiple sexual partners, they lived tribally and collectively and shared responsibility i.e. food, water, building, parenting
What is promiscuous horde?
Where people had multiple sexual partners
According to Engels, what changes occurred to the family under capatalism?
As the idea wealth, property and money occurred, monogamy occurred. Men married wealthy women, who raised wealthy heirs… kept wealth in the family
According to Engels, how does the nuclear family benefit capatalism?
Monogamy maintained the class and wealth divide as wealth stayed within the family
Evaluation of Engels…
- incorrect in the claim marriage benefits the bourgeoise, people marry because they love each other
- outdated, written in the 1800s so society has changed a lot since then
What three functions does the nuclear family hold according to Zaretsky?
- unit of consumption
- psychological outlet
- socialisation of children
Explain Zaretskys unit of consumption function…
Families are major spenders within society, clothes, toys ect. Society has become increasingly materialistic therefore families are under the impression the need to compete with other families “keeping up with the joneses”.
Children are likely to apply “pester power” to their parents - making them buy the same products as their friends
-benefits capatalism
Explain Zaretskys psychological outlet function…
The family serves as a distraction from the hardships of working in a capatalist society. Especially applies to men who are exploited and taken advantage of. The family relieves this stress and the man goes back to work the next day feeling refreshed for it to happen again and again
-benefits capatalism
Evaluation of Zaretsky…
- spending money isn’t exclusive to the nuclear family, nor is socialisation
- not every family has the money to be ‘major spenders’’ in society
Explain Zaretskys socialisation function…
The nuclear family acts as an important component into socialising children into the capatalist ideologies. Parents teach children; obedience, conformity, respect for authority ect. Consequently children grow up and be passive workers who accept inequality, therefore making them ideal workers to be exploited.
What is Bourdieu’s cultural capital?
Where children are provided with the knowledge, skills and qualities to be successful in academia and beyond.
What is Bourdieu’s economic capital?
Where families have the financial power to provide cultural capital
What is Bourdieu’s cultural deprivation?
Where families lack the equipment to provide children with the knowledge, skills and qualities to make them successful in life
What is Bourdieu’s material deprivation?
Where families lack money, causing cultural deprivation.
Evaluation of Bourdieu…
- working class pupils have access to opportunity and support i.e. benefits
- views unfair on working class parents, he assumes they have low aspirations for their children, which is rarely true
