the marxists view

Question 1

What do marxist say about the family?

Answer 1

they identified some functions of family to mainly benefit and maintain the capitalist class

Question 2

Inheritance of property?

Primitive commuinism?

Answer 2

• Means of production is a key factor that affects all instituitions including the family. In this society, the ruling class own the means of production whereas back in earlier society, which Marx called the “primitive communism” where whole society owned means of production communally.
• back then there was restrictions on sexual relationships unlike now in this modern society also called a “promiscuos horde”

Question 3

Private property?

Answer 3

• society wealth began increasing, and following this was the development of private property who is a class of men who were able to secure control of the means of production and this lead to the emerge of the patriachal monogmous nuclear family

Question 4

Why is monogomy essential according to who?

Answer 4

• According to Engles, monogomy was essential because for a fathers child to inherit fathers wealth, the father had to be certain of his paternity to the child. In Engles views, this increase in monogomous families was only bringing the female sexuality under mens control and turned females into a mere instrument for the production of children.

Question 5

Whats the solutions to this?

Answer 5

we need to overthrow capitalism and private ownership so that means of productions are owned collectively and we no longer need for the patriachal family as we dont need private property passed on down generation after generation

Question 6

Ideological functions

How family performs these functions?

Eli zaretsky?

Answer 6

• They say that family performs key ideological functions. By ideology they mean set of ideas and beliefs that justify inequality and persuade people to accept and maintain capitalism and make them feel like it is natural.
• one way family does this is by socialising children into the idea that inequality and hierachy is not avoidable. E.g parental power (especially fatherly power) gets child to this idea that someone ( usually a man ) is always in charge
• she talks about how family perfoming a safe haven from the harsh and exploitive workforce is an illusion. This is bcos the family cant be seen as secure and safe for its members needs as it cant actually meet all its members need

Question 7

A unit of consumption

How are they forced to buy these products

Answer 7

• capitalist exploit workers by 1) by being paid less to produce good then the value of the goods
  2) by being forced to buy those goods for higher prices then what they were paid for
  -advertisers begging it for them to buy the products to keep up with the jonesse
  -media using pester power to target children to annoy parents
  -children who lack latest trending products are stigmatised and mocked.

Question 8

EVALUATION: critisms of the marxist view

Answer 8

• marxists tend to assume that nuclear family is dominant in capitalist society and ignores all other family types that are found
• feminist argue that marxist emphasise on class and underestimates the gender inequalities within the family. The feminist view believe that family primarily serves the interest of men and not capitalism.
• functionalist argue that marxists ignore the benefits family still has for its members.