Marxist Views on Conjugal Roles

• Interpret that men and women having different roles gives more power to capitalism to be able to control family life
• Women who stay at home doing unpaid work supports the capitalist society
• Children are raised by women who then provide the next generation of workers for the capitalist society. They are socialised to accept their position in a capitalist society
• Zaretsky didn't believe that the family could provide for psychological and social needs for individuals
• Zaretsky argues that the family supports capitalism as they are a unit of consumption
• Zaretsky believes that the family allows individuals to express their frustrations of capitalism without threatening capitalism
• Family helps capitalism as it reduces stress from being exploited
• Zaretsky believes that socialism will ned the artificial separation of family and public life
• Evaluation:

  • It ignores the family diversity within a capitalist society and how lots of women now work full time
  • Feminists think that it ignores the inequality between men and women
  • It ignores the benefits of a nuclear family, such as both parents being able to support and socialise their children
  • They see women's exploitation only as a consequence of capitalism