Theories of the family: Marxist Perspective

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  • Theories of the family: Marxist Perspective
    • The Basics
      • Structural and historical approach
      • Economic relations determine social relations
      • Focus on how the nuclear family maintains capitalism and inequality
    • Marxist Feminism
      • Fran Ansley - women are the takers of ****
      • Reserve army of labour
      • Capitalism benefitting from unpaid labour of women
    • Ideological functions of the family
      • 'Privatised' nuclear family is political
      • Unequal relations between parents encourages acceptance of hierarchy
      • In reality, the family offers a 'safe haven' away from the harsh exploitation under capitalism.     - Helps people put up with exploitation
        • A criticism of the 'warm bath theory'
    • Family is a 'unit of consumption'
      • Privatised family is typically about leisure and consumption
      • 'Keeping up with the Joneses'
      • Advertising and poster power
    • Engels - The nuclear family and private property
      • The economic system determines the predominant type of family in society
        • pre-industrial, traditional, 'primitive' society (Before capitalism)
          • - No real wealth            - Primitive communism   - Collective ownership      - Promiscuous hoard
        • Emergence of capitalism
          • - Wealth generation     - Private Property         - Individual Ownership     - Patriarchal nuclear family
            • Allows for transference of wealth from generation to generation
    • Evaluations
      • Economically deterministic
        • Nuclear families exist in non capitalist societies
        • Non nuclear families exist in capitalist societies
      • Engels' theory fails to explain why the family has to be patriarchal
      • Other family types might be more functional for capitalism (e.g. step families)

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