marxism

• Engels - inheritance

  -inheritance of private property supports idea of family being tool for maintenance of capitalism

  -proletariat don't have property / wealth

  -bourgeoisie have all wealth > keep in family
• inheritance features

  -ensure wealth stays within bourgeoisie

  -marriage legal contract that withhold wealth

  -nuclear family is modern social construct turning women into "mere instrument for production of children"
• Zaretsky

  -family is unit of consumption

  -capitalism exploits workers in 2 ways:

  > pay low wages to maximise profits

  > sell those products back to workers
• Pester Power - Zaretsky 


  -family generates profit for company by advertising to children

  -children pester & pressurize parents into buying products
• Keeping Up with the Joneses - Zaretsky


  -feel the need to compete ourselves with those around us
• Zaretsky - function of family

  -stabilise & perpetuate dominance through masking / illusion

  -function appears to be stable & beneficial for everyone

  -true meaning hidden from society

  -benefits particular group of people

  -socialising the inevitable
• socialising the inevitable

  -families socialise children into believing hierarchy & inequality is expected
• stabilise & perpetuate dominance

  -those in power stay in power

  -superstructure is stable & doesn't change
• masking & illusion

  -manipulation & deciete from those in power

  -results in false class consciousness
• Zaretsky criticisms

  -dominance of nuclear family > ignores family diversity

  -feminism : ignores other world conflicts (gender)

  -functionalism : only sees family as negative institution

  : doesn't accept positives

  -resistance of ideology > families aren't pumped full of ruling

  ideology

  they can reject it
• Zaretsky strengths

  -nuclear family > proven to be a social construction, hasn't always

  been around

  > explains benefits of ruling elite more than

  individuals

  -explains & highlights darker side of family