Marxism

• Marxism

  • Class conflict, where the bourgeoise oppress and exploit the proletariat
  • Individual is a product of economic force where we do what's best for capitalist's interests
  • Reproduce class inequalities by passing private property down to children
  • Nuclear family performs ideological functions for capitalism acting as a unit of consumption and acceptance of hierarchy
• Althusser

  Ideological state apparatus (ISA) controls behaviours of working class through social institutions

  Elites suggest how family life should be organised > passed to social institutions to be passive and accept hierarchy
• Criticisms of Althusser

  Families unlikely to be influenced by behaviour of elites

  People have different interpretations of norms and values of family life
• Zaretzky

  Family changed from unit of production to consumption > family consume, children not economic asset
• Zaretzky

  Family = 'safe haven' from capitalism > workers suffer alienation from not seeing results of labour > family comforts
• Zaretzky

  Family maintains capitalist system: unpaid labour of women, reproduction of future generations, family consume > feed profits > require workers to continue labour
• Criticisms of Zaretzky

  Lack of focus on female role in family

  People unlikely to have families based on economic considerations
• Hochschild

  Family and relationships = transaction

  Alienation in work and home > separation of emotion burden or caring > emotion struggles > impact self-esteem
• Criticisms of Hochschild

  Beck = men more likely to define as father rather than occupation

  Some focus more on emotion relationships than work
• Overall criticisms of Marxism

  Feminists = social class inequalities downplay role of patriarchy

  Ignores family diversity in capitalist society

  Deterministic - many reject consummerism
• Engles

  Family exists so men can pass down private property to sons

  • capitalism is based on a system of private ownership > bourgeois use their own wealth to invest in themselves
  • monogamous nuclear families formed to pass down property to ensure family stays rich
• Criticisms of Engles

  • Feminists, ignores gender inequalities > some husbands don't allow wife to own property > endure triple shift
  • Infidelity exists > paternity not certain despite monogamous marriage