More Marxist

• Link To Family

  •Marxists think capitalism dominates all of society, including the family. So the family doesn’t benefit its members, it benefits capitalism and the ruling class.•They think it serves 3 functions:1.It ensures inheritance of private property2.It helps us accept authority and hierarchy and prevents us rebelling (ideological functions)3.It acts as a unit of consumption (i.e families buy a lot!).
• Inheritance of property- Engels


  •The nuclear family, based on monogamy is only developed with the emergence of private property and capitalism .This allows men to pass on their wealth to a legitimate heir
• Ideological functions-Zaretsky


  •Ideology in the way used by Marxists, is a set of beliefs, norms and values that are biased and serve to support the structure of society as it is. Marxists see the family as crucial in transmitting ideas and beliefs that maintain the capitalist system. The family socialise children to accept the inequalities of capitalist society and to accept the idea of hierarchy as inevitable.
• . Ideological functions-Zaretsky


  Zaretsky also says the family acts as a ‘haven/comfort zone’ for the worker against the hardships of an oppressive, exploitative workplace. Problems at work such as alienation (which is a lack of control over one’s job), low pay etc. can be forgotten in the home. The worker can return from the comfort and love of the family to be freshly exploited!
• Unit Of Consumption

  •Children use ‘pester power’ to persuade their parents to spend more.

  •Children are stigmatised for not having the latest fashion trends. •Adverts promote the ‘ideal family’ type, urge families to consume the latest products•
• Strengths of the Marxist theory of the family

  –Marxism acts as a useful ‘balance’ to uncritical theories of family (such as functionalism) which see only positives. –Marxism highlights the fact that families are major consumers and targets of advertising. Highlights the role of many families in getting people to accept hierarchy