Marxism and Family 3

Similarities between marxism and functionalism

• Both structural theories.
• Mainly interested in how familty contributes to overall society rather than how people experience family - keen to find out overall function of family for society.

Marxists on Capitalist Society

• Reject functionalist view that society is based on value consensus - argue capitalist society is organised around conflict of social classes and exploitation.
• Most important - economy (economic infrastructure)
• Capitalist class compete with each other to produce manufactured goods - this elite controls wealth of society so owns 'means of production' (factories, technology and machines)
• Needs labour power of majority class (working class) - relationship is based on exploitation because wages don't…