The Marxist Perspective Flashcards
How are they different from functionalists?
Do not regard nuclear family as functionally necessary institution.
How do Marxists see the family?
Within a framework of capitalist society, based on private property, driven by profit, riddled with conflict between social classes with opposing interests.
Argue the nuclear family is concerned with social control by teaching people to submit to the capitalist class.
What did Engels believe?
Believed the monogamous nuclear family was developed as a means of passing on private property to heirs.
A monogamous family was ideal as it proved paternity.
Women’s position was that she provided sex and heirs in return for economic security her husband offered.
How is it similar to the functionalist perspective?
They adopt a structural perspective, looking at how the family contributed to the maintenance of society’s structure.
What did Althusser argue?
In order for capitalism to survive, working class miss submit to the bourgeoisie
What does Zaretsky say?
Sees family as an escape route from oppression and exploitation at work.
Release in the family helps them to live with their oppression in work and so helps to undermine opposition to capitalism.
This is a male Marxist perspective, as the work that make the family a haven and refuge is done by, and at the expense of women.
Criticisms of the Marxists perspective.
Old fashioned - idea that men only have children to pass on property rather than for love.
Women now have independent incomes and so don’t need to marry for economic security.
