Private property - Engels; an organised system of inheritence became necessary, fathers needed to know their children in order to pass their property down the family line. Creating monogamy where there was previously a 'promiscious horde' of sexual relationships. Thus, subjecting women to unequal power relations in the home.
Criticisms - research has found that monogamous marriage & the nuclear family was found in 'hunter-gatherer' groups, prehistory onwards.
Parsons (functionalism); rather than being a vehicle of passing down inherited wealth it socialises the young, stabalises adult personallities & division of labour in families is natural.
Zaretsky; the family serves capitalism by offering emotional security from the oppressive world of work. Allowing the work to continue whilst disguising the reality that it just encourages member to live another day under the harsh realities of capitalism.
Critcisms - Somerville (liberal feminist); he exaggerates the importance of the family as a refuge from life in capitalist society, there is abuse within families. During early capitalism most w/c women had to take paid work in order for family survival, few stayed at home.
1 of 2
Functions of the family pt2
Althusser; the family is an Ideological State Apparatus, it socialises children to accept ideology & pass it down to the next generation.
Critcisms - Functionalists; socialisation helps children to internalise culture & fit into society.
Feminism; ignores how the ideology reproduces gender inequality & oppression, by instiling gender roles into children that favour men.
Unit of consumption - Helps capitalism by buying the goods shown in advertising; children use 'pester power' to persuade their parents to spend more & want the newest clothes to impress their peers & avoid being stigmatised.
Comments
No comments have yet been made