There is not much research to suggest that the emergence of capitalism created the nuclear family structure. There is no weakness except communication gap. Marx demonstrated how capitalism was able to grow through the exploitation of labor. Lastly, we will evaluate the Marxist perspectives on the family. 3 - Zarestsky claims that families are urged to appear trendy by buying the latest products. The reason it does this is because one of the key features of Marxism is to have everyone be fully equal - and religion would meddle in that aspect as it automatically puts some people in superiority or inferiority of others within the religion. Middle-class children are also likely to know the 'right' ways of behaving, speaking, and dressing that are valued by other middle-class adults, such as teachers. The division of labor was, for Marx, the very essence of all that is wrong with the world. Its 100% free. Thus, there is no material benefit for the family itself, only for the capitalist structure. 5. Strengths and weaknesses of religious theories by Durkheim, Marx, and Freud. Marxist Feminist Perspectives on Family Life. This is because it does not take into account the essential greediness and selfishness of the human being. Feminists argue that the Marxist focus on class ignores the inequalities between men and women, which is the real source of female oppression.. However, the weakness of the new right is that they are negatively influenced the government which makes benefits more difficult to get. 481 Words. The monogamous, nuclear family structure, therefore, became clearly advantageous to class hierarchy and inequality and therefore capitalism. This benefits society as a whole, not just a particular group. 1. It acknowledges the influence of structural factors on the family. Thompson, K. (2014). Next, we will look at several Marxist perspectives, including those of Engels, Zaretsky, Bourdieu and Althusser. , suggesting that it is functional and chosen by families. For Marx (B. Brewster, Trans.). Simply put, a Marxist perspective is one that originates from the theory of Marxism. Create your account. Assess the strengths and weaknesses of the functionalist view on society. Assess the strengths and weaknesses of the Marxist view of the role of education in society. While the conflict theory suggests that competition and class struggles are natural and necessary for survival, certain limitations also come . Essay plan on the Marxist perspective on the family, Marxist Feminist Perspectives on the Family. People are influenced to compete with each other through consumption. For decades, the leading philosopher and one of Europe's most famous atheists, Jrgen Habermas has emphasized the need for moral development in the West. Lerne mit deinen Freunden und bleibe auf dem richtigen Kurs mit deinen persnlichen Lernstatistiken. Thus, the nuclear family is only beneficial to capitalism and the ruling class. Or they can join with other workers and go on strike and temporarily do without pay by way of a protest to push for better pay or conditions. He was a revolutionary on the back of the industrial . Marxist and Marxist Feminist Criticisms of Functionalist Theories of the Family. Here Are the Pros of Marxism. disprove each other, how do parents support the children in teaching them right and wrong if both parents are working full time? Marx believed that there should be no ownership of private property because this reproduces social class inequalities and benefits the bourgeoisie. An interesting variation on Parsons warm bath theory, Zaretsky argued that family life gave proletarian men something they could control and a space where they could be the boss. The Marxist perspective on the family is criticised generally and by other structural theories: More about Marxist Perspectives on the Family, Social Construction of Health and Illness, Representation of Social Class In The Media, Distribution of Wealth, Poverty, and Income in the UK, Theoretical Approaches to Welfare Providers. Marxists believe that the family unit upholds capitalism and recreates social class inequalities. 9essays/ essay plans spanning all the topics within the families and households topic. Subsequently, as adults, they can't get well-paid jobs and therefore are unable to 'move up' the social ladder and improve their circumstances. Strength. Family strengths can also be their weaknesses. I cant find the author. One way in which this happens is that there is a hierarchy in most families which teaches children to accept there will always be someone in authority who they must obey, which then mirrors the hierarchy of boss-worker in paid employment in later life. In order to keep this property, they had to find a way to prevent it from being shared with everyone else. The Marxist theory of crime has the benefit of a holistic view - it accounts for a range of deviant acts committed by people from different social backgrounds, with different motivations. Terms in this set (10) Strength. The conflict theory originated with German philosopher Karl Marx. In particular, he focused on the experiences of middle-class and working-class children in education and work, namely through the lenses of economic, cultural, and social capital. Before Capitalism, traditional, tribal societies were classless and they practised a form of primitive communism in which there was no private property. Marxists see each institution of society as performing the role of upholding the capitalist superstructure, which ultimately helps to sustain a capitalist society. Functions of the family: Marxism For this reason, there is an inherent conflict of interest between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat. Marxist-feminist Fran Ansley argues that men unload their stress and anger towards the capitalist system on women, which leads to domestic violence. By registering you get free access to our website and app (available on desktop AND mobile) which will help you to super-charge your learning process. Marx also gives people of lower social class confidence and hope in trying to overthrow capitalism by standing up for their human rights. The family reproduces the next generation of workers that will be exploited as labour power by the capitalist system. According to Marxists what is the role of the family? An isolated nuclear family means that men can confirm whether a child belongs to them and ensure that wealth remains in the family through private inheritance. 1) Families must keep up with the material goods/services acquired by their neighbours and peers e.g. The family structure builds demand for goods in several ways. This means that the family serves not only an ideological function, but also an economic function. ; In Zaretsky's view, the family also serves as a vital unit of consumption. As the children of the rich grew into wealth, the children of the poor remained poor. He argued that we went from an age of primitive communism to capitalism through the establishment of family norms such as private ownership and inheritance, and this was done through the oppression of women. What was Marx's view on private property? They also weaken the position of individual workers in relation to the boss. Apart from economic capital, which other types of capital did Bourdieu discuss? Content is fact checked after it has been edited and before publication. Feminist perspectives offer a revolutionary critical lens for studying families and for challenging traditional understandings of sex, gender, sexualities, conceptualizations of families . The traditional Marxist view on families is that they perform a role not for everyone in society but for capitalism and the ruling class (the bourgeoisie). No direction home: The American family and the fear of national decline, 1968-1980. Tilly, L. A. The traditional Marxist view on families is that they perform a role not for everyone in society but for capitalism and the ruling class (the bourgeoisie). The nuclear family is a common family type found universally, suggesting that it is functional and chosen by families. Nickerson, C. (2022, April 04). Feminist theory is a major branch within sociology. So if marriage is harmful for women, what about divorce? It suggests that family life. Open Document. Families are urged to appear trendy or fashionable by buying the latest products and services so they can appear to have a high status to their relatives, neighbours and peers. Fig. Marxists see the role of the family quite differently to that of functionalists. For example, tutoring or preparatory schools could widen inequality. Look at the following phrases, are they strengths of Marx's argument or weaknesses of Marxism. Feminists may appreciate the fact that Marxists have recognised how women within the nuclear family are a) treated as the property of men and b) used as means of producing babies so that sons can inherit property. There are significant amounts of advertising and TV programmes influencing parents in this way. Workers who have families are also less likely to rebel against their bosses, such as by going on strike, because the loss of earnings could affect not only them, but also their dependents. Be perfectly prepared on time with an individual plan. Through mass media and advertising, families are influenced to compete through consumption. Social capital refers to the access to important or influential contacts or networks. Cite evidence from the text to support your response. The importance of culture in structuring society is identified. In the Marxist view the family is a part of the superstructure of capitalist society which operates not in the interests of society and all of its members equally but in the interests of the capitalist system and of the capitalist class within that system. Marx and Engels believed that the monogamous nuclear family emerged from, and benefits, capitalism. Engels on the Family. Conflict Theory. Feminists would point out that sex inequalities exist within all families, irrespective of social class background. However, we can consider that the youthful phase of capitalism is gone beyond recall. For functionalists, society is seen as a system of social institutions such as the economy, religion and the family all of which perform socialisation . These alternative conceptions of the family are outside of Marxist analysis of the nuclear family (Thompson, 2014). In theory, equality sounds great, seeing a lot of examples where people are treated fairly, but keep in mind that an individual is taken out of the scenario under Marxism. Have view that women should themselves go against sex discrimination. 50 pages of revision notes covering all of the sub-topics within families and households, mind maps in pdf and png format 9 in total, coveringperspectives on the family. The term 'economic capital' refers to money and resources, often denoting disposable income or material possessions. During the time of 'primitive communism', there was no private property and thus no social classes or private family units. As is often the case, there are similarities between the functionalist and Marxist case: they both think that families perform important functions for the society as it is currently constituted. Which type of theorist is Talcott Parsons and how does he disagree with the Marxist perspective on the family? Freud's psychoanalytic perspective viewed religion as the unconscious mind's need for wish fulfillment. Marxian economics focuses on the role of labor in the development of an economy, and is critical of the . Marxists Views on the Family There are three Marxists views of the family, Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels and Eli Zaretsky; they all see all institutions such as education, the media and the family as maintaining class inequality and capitalism. In Marxism, there will be the idea that private properties and businesses should be abolished, which makes it impossible for anyone to take business advantage of someone else, giving him no reward for working. The family harms women more than the working class, as there are gender inequalities within the working class too. This is because it does not take into account the essential greediness and selfishness of the human being. Lastly, we'll look at French philosopher and sociologist Louis Althusser's views on the family. After studying this section, you should be able to understand: key concepts such as nuclear families, extended families and households. It reduces the tendency of debt. Marxist feminism is a branch of feminist theory which argues that the main cause of women's oppression is capitalism. Feminists argue that Marxists focus too much on social class inequalities whilst disregarding the role of the family in maintaining gender inequalities. (Original work published 1968) Brown, H. (2012). However, fundamentally, Zaretsky did not believe that the family is able to provide for the psychological and social needs of the individual. These can include things that make life in a capitalist system bearable, such as things that fulfill a need for distraction. Engels doesn't cater for family diversity. The cushioning effect is similar to Parson's theory of the Warm Bath, in that the family acts as a relief from social stress and tension. The modern nuclear family functions to promote values that ensure the reproduction and maintenance of capitalism. 2 Strengths. Conflict theory looks at society as a competition for limited resources. Fig. It believes that capitalist society is based on inequalities between the ' bourgeoisie' (ruling capitalist class) and ' proletariat' (working class). Marxism is a as conflict perspective as it describes a form of inequality . Strengths. The Marxist Perspective on The Family. This could be for the whole family sick as a new car or parents giving their children high-status clothes or electronics. Strengths and Weaknesses of Symbiotic Interactionism. Marxism is a 'structural conflict' perspective. According to Engels, the monogamous nuclear family only emerged with Capitalism. 214 High Street, The Marxist perspective on the family focuses on the nuclear family and ignores other family types that exist in contemporary society. Women are doubly oppressed, both by capitalism and patriarchy. Examine Marxist Views on the role of the family (30 marks) A key feature of the Marxist perspective is the belief that society is centred around an unfair class division which is maintained through Capitalism. Capitalism, increasing wealth and gender equality within a nation seem to be correlated. Rewrite the following sentences, adding or deleting commas as necessary. Marxist philosophy on education sees economics lying at the root of every human activity, though this is not absolutely factual on scientific point of view, as economics occupies the pivotal position in the curriculum is one of the main objectives to acquire productive skills, which would result to creative faculties of children being neglected. how to respect and conform to authority; hierarchy is inevitable and there will always be someone 'in charge'. Communism is a possible occurrence in Marxism, as this philosophy is believed to lead to dictatorship. With the emergence of capitalism, the bourgeoisie began owning private property for the purposes of personal profit. Lassalle proposed reformism, that is, the view that socialism has to be brought about through democratic procedures, such as universal voting. Marxism is also a structural theory, which means it believes societal structures shape individuals. Because people need to feel secure and absolve themselves of their own guilt, Freud believed that they choose to believe in God, who represents a powerful father-figure.