Marxism:

Who are the 3 key Marxist theorists of the family?

• Engels

• Zaretsky

• Althusser

According to Marxists, what are the 4 functions of the family?

• inheritance of wealth & private property

• the cushioning effect

• unit of consumption

• socialisation & creating the next generation of workers

According to Engels, what is the inheritance of wealth & private property function of the family?

The nuclear family allows wealthy men to confirm when a child is biologically theirs, ensuring that their wealth stays within the family through inheritance. This helps to maintain capitalism by keeping wealth within bourgeoisie families rather than being distributed amongst the community.

According to Zaretsky, what is the ‘cushioning effect’?

The family acts as a comfort from the stresses and strains of society. This maintains capitalism as it prevents the proletariat from recognising their oppression.

According to Zaretsky, what is the unit of consumption function of the family?

The family is targeted by advertisers to buy their products, targeting children to use ‘pester power’.