Marxist Views of the Family

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  • Created by: 11JoneA1
  • Created on: 16-01-18 14:22

Role of the Family

Props up Capitalism

  • Maintains false class consciousness
  • Avoids opposition to capitalism
  • Provides release to forget exploitation
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Engels

Engels: private property to heirs 

  • Family and monogamy = ensures proof of paternity
    • Ensures correct heirs
  • Women = prostitutes 
    • Financial deal
    • Provide sex/economic security for family and husband - through producing heirs
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Zaretsky

Zaretsky: provides escape from oppression and exploitation

  • Male workers have release via family
    • Enjoy personal life and some control
    • Helps to live with oppression of capitalism 
    • Undermines opposition

Criticisms

  • Romanticised view of the family 
    • Only focuses on male perspective
    • Family is a haven/refuge at the expense of women
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Althusser

Althusser: w/c submits to r/c

  • Family = ideological state apparatus
    • Concerned with social control
    • Passes on r/c ideology
  • Maintains false class consciousness by winning hearts/minds of w/c
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Marxist Dark Side of the Family

  • Reproduces labour force: reproduce future generations of workers
  • Consumers: consumes products of capitalism 
  • Emotional support: to help workers cope with harsh realities of capitalism 
  • Socialising: socialising children into accepting inequalities of capitalist society 

Similar to Murdock's functions of the family - but different aims 

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