The Marxist perspective on the family Flashcards
1
Q
What are the functions of the family, according to the Marxist perspective?
A
- Inheritance of property
- Who owns and controls society’s productive forces (tools, machinery, raw materials) is the capitalist class/bourgeoisie
- During the primitive communism period, there was no private property and insteas, all members of society owned the means of production communally… Also during this period, there was no family- just tribes
- With increased wealth came the patriarchal monogamous nuclear family
- Monogamy was essential (Engels) as men had to be sure that the legitimate heirs inherited the assets - Ideological functions
- The family socialises children into the idea that hierarchy and inequality are inevitable
- Parental power over children accustoms them to the idea that there always has to be someone in charge and this prepares them for working life
- Zaretsky (1976): the family offer a ‘haven’ from the harsh world of capitalism, in which workers can have a private life - A unit of consumption
- The family is an important market for the sale of consumer goods as:
a) advertisers urge families to ‘keep up with the Joneses’, consuming all the latest products
b) the media target children, who use ‘pester power’ to persuade parents to buy more
c) children are stigmatised by peers if they don’t have the latest gadgets
2
Q
What are the criticism of the Marxist perspective?
A
- Marxists assume that the nuclear family is dominant in capitalist society
- Feminists: underestimate the importance of gender inequalities within the family
- Functionalists: Marxists ignore the benefits