The Family - Marxist Flashcards
What did Engels contribute to the Origin of the family
Era of Primitive communism
Era of capitalism
Explain Primitive Communism
No private Property and the family didn’t exist how it does today. Humans lived in promiscuous hordes or tribes. Few limits on sexual relationships and children were brought up by whole tribe rather than parents
Explain the Era of Capitalism
Nuclear family based on monogamy only developed with the emergence of capitalism which led to accumulation of private property and wealth. Engels claimed monogamous family evolved to benefit capitalism, with limits on sexual relationships it ensured that wealth and property were inherited by a persons direct descendants
Give some evaluations of Engels
Strong Historical Evidence showing connection between growing popularity of monogamous relationships and the rise of capitalism in western societies such as Britain. However also evidence of large numbers of Nuclear families existing throughout history
No historical evidence of an era of primitive communism
Gough supported the notion of free sexual relationships in primitive human societies by examining the behaviour of our nearest relatives - Chimpanzees- who live in promiscuous hordes
How did Laslett contribute to the evaluation of Engels
found most families in medieval Britain were Nuclear because of low life expectancy and high infant mortality rate existed in this period
What were Zaretsky’s ideas of the Function of the Family
Socialisation of Children
Psychological Outlet
Economic Function
Explain Zaretsky’s theory of Socialisation of Children
The family are part of the superstructure of capitalist society and that the family socialises children (especially working class) into the norms and values useful to the capitalist ruling class. The family is an ideological agent of ruling class They are taught to be obedient and respectful for those in authority. This in turn will provide individuals who can later be exploited by the ruling class as they view the power that the ruling class wield as natural and become uncritical conformist citizens.
Explain Zaretsky’s theory of psychological outlet
Family acts as a comforting device for the worker against the hardships of an oppressive and exploitative workplace, the problems such as alienation, lack of control, stress of working long hours can be forgotten in the home as the worker spends quality time with his wife and children, the worker can then return to work the next day to be freshly exploited. A frustrated worker is very unlikely to engage in behaviour which threatens the nuclear family set up, workers therefore are more willing to put up with exploitation and inequality
What evidence supports Zaretskys’ theory of psychological outlet
Ford in 1980’s would only ever employee married men because these types of men were more reluctant than single men to take strike action because they felt their main responsibility was to their wives and children rather than fellow workers
Explain Zaretskys’ theory of Economic Function
Argued the family is the main institution through which the majority of consumer goods and services are consumed i.e major unit of consumption. It is therefore essential to success and especially the profit of the capitalist system The family is encouraged by ruling class ideologies transmitted through advertising and other types of the media to "keep up with the Jones'" and to buy more consumer products
How does Herbert Marcuse benefit Zaretskys’ Economic Function
The profitability of capitalism depended on the family spending money on 'false needs'. These are consumer goods which are mainly bought to be conspicuously consumed (trendy) Logic of capitalism dictates that these items will quickly become obsolete as they are replaced by improved technology or more fashionable items Capitalist ideology transmitted by advertising and the mass media, and aimed at the family ensures that family income continues to be spent on such items. This ensures that the capitalist class continues to make vast profits. Consequently, the family performs a vital economic function.
Give some overall strengths of the Marxist Perspective
Engels has shown the Nuclear family as not as natural or universal or as indispensable as functionalist would have us believe Marxist see nuclear family as performing vital functions for society. Engels and Zaretsky have shown how it may be the Ruling class who benefit most from the Nuclear family Outlines major function of the family being a 'key unit of consumption' and is essential to the capitalist system in terms of profits
Give some overall weaknesses of the Marxist Perspective
Overemphasise how the family is shaped by the needs of capitalism . Marxists have done little research to find out whether member of family do actually have this relationship with capitalism
Marxists ignore the meanings families have for individuals (interactionist)
Present an over socialised view of humans - see it as one way process pumping children full of ruling class culture, never considers rejection
over-focus on negative aspects of family, ignore the real satisfaction it gives people. Positive experiences of being a Housewife and mother are dismissed as capitalist ideology and false consciousness
focus on Nuclear family ignore recent diversification of Uk population, new family forms exist such as dual career
How does Althusser contribute to the marxist undertsanding of the socialisation of values
Using Ideological State Apparatus (ISA) - these were tools used by the bourgeoise to brainwash the proletariat into the captalist ideas, believing there was no exploitation, no oppression. They use ISA in order to keep consumerism propped up (keep up wiht the jones') This socilaisation into ruling class values allows the system of exploitation and and class inequalities to continue by leading the subject class into false class conciousness - preventing revolution as the socialisation leaves subject class unable to recognise how consumerism only benefits the ruling lcass
How can Althusser be Evaluated?
He presumes that the people have no sense of free will and that they can ignore ruling class views.
Functionalists also argue that this socialisation is in order for society to exist in harmony, that it also benefits the family alongside the ruling class. However the New right disagree and that the increased Family Diversity shows the family are in decline and crisis.
