Marxist perspective on the family

Overview of marxist perspective

• Marxist is a ‘structural conflict’ perspective. The Bourgeoisie exploit the proletariat. 

  • Engels - emergence of nuclear families

• Monogamous families only emerged with capitalism. Before capitalism traditional tribal societies were classless, where there was no private property. With the emergence of capitalism in the 18th century, capitalism is based on private ownership. Therefore, monogamous relationships ensured all private property stayed within the family. 

Criticisms of nuclear family

• It benefits the Bourgeoisie. Children of the rich grow into wealth, children of the poor remain poor. 

Criticisms of Engles

• Capitalism is due to gender inequality. Majority of tribes in Asia and Africa are patriarchal with women having no political power, cannot own their own land and have to do the most child care and physical labour. 

ISA and RSA

• Marixts suggests that bourgeoisie maintains power by using both recessive state apparatus (police force, army etc), and ideological state apparatus (institutions that spread bourgeois ideology, like schools preparing students to always obey an hierarchy and accept a life of exploitation). 

Contemporary Marxism - The family as an Ideological Apparatus

• The family as an Ideological Apparatus. It justifies inequality and encourages people to accept the capitalist system as natural, fair and unchangeable. One way this happens is by a hierarchy in most families which teaches children to always obey people with a higher status than them.  

Contemporary Marxism - The Family as a Unit of Consumption

• Capitalist business owners make profit by keeping their workers' wages down. In order to do this they must make good products. Family can help with this as:

Getting influenced by good promotion on adverts and tv shows.

Pester the power of their children to buy more expensive things. 

Overall Criticisms of Marxism

• Too deterministic- It assumes people passively accept socialisation. 

• Ignores family diversity, many women now work full time as well

• Feminists argue that the marxist focus only on class and ignores gender inequalities

• Marxists ignore the benefits of a nuclear family - both parents support the children.