Marxists View On Family (comp)

• Marxists believe that the function of the family are performed purely for the benefit of the capitalist system.
• Before capitalism, Marxists referred to the nameless society as 'primitive communism'.
• No private property existed before capitalism.
• Private properties bought along patriarchal nuclear monogamous families.
• Engel says that for a property to be inherited, men had to be certain of the paternity of their child in order to legitimise their inheritance
• Engel says the rise of patriarchal nuclear monogamous families represented a world of 'historical defeat of the female sex' and 'mere mere instruments to the production of children'.
• Marxists say that for capitalism and private ownership to be overthrown, women must rise from patriarchal control.
• Marxists say that ideological functions should be taught to children to set certain beliefs and ideas into their minds. This justifies inequality and maintains the capitalistic system.
• Families can also socialise their children within a heirachy of power and status.
• Parental power over children can prepare them for the working life as they will easy conform to their capitalistic employers.#
• Zaretsky says that the family acts as a 'safe haven' for those within to hide away from the capitalistic workplace. However, he says that this is the case for nuclear families only.
• Marxists also say that family should act as a unit of consumption.
• Capitalism exploits the working class as the middle class get their profit from wc labour and are paid less.
• Adverts/media urge families to keep up with the jonses. This means that families should consume in order to prove that they has just as much income as other families do.
• The media targets children, and relies on 'pester power' in order for parents to spend more. E.g. Lelly Kelly School Shoes and Sylvanian Families.
• Children that lacked from the products on adverts were more likely to be mocked and stigmatised by their peers.
• AO2 UOC - Young kids cause mayhem in cosmetic stores, and critics say that the 'issue stems from social media influencers'.