marxist view on family strengths and weaknesses

With the emergence of capitalism, the bourgeoisie began owning private property for the purposes of personal profit. The family structure builds demand for goods in several ways. He believed in putting equality of society . I am doing a research project for my high school sociology course, and would like to learn more about this subject. Whilst functionalists see the family as a positive, harmonious unit, Marxists see the family as a reason for social class inequalities in capitalist society. Properties and resources were owned collectively. The importance of culture in structuring society is identified. Purchases parents make to give their family a sense of status to outsiders. Hi does anyone knows how to refer this website in Harvard system. Feminist theory aims to highlight the social problems and issues that are experienced by . If capitalism is overthrown, women could be freed not just from the capitalist society but also the patriarchy. A strength of marxism is that this theory analyses power and conflict in society. both parents support the children. Bertrand, Marie-Andre. The family and change. This article has been fact checked by Saul Mcleod, a qualified psychology teacher with over 17 years' experience of working in further and higher education. Marx believed that there should be no ownership of private property because this reproduces social class inequalities and benefits the bourgeoisie. However, Zaretsky believed that the family allowed the breadwinner man to feel in control and strong, which they did not feel at work due to the oppression of the bourgeoisie capitalist class. This could be for the whole family sick as a new car or parents giving their children high-status clothes or electronics. He argued that we went from an age of primitive communism to capitalism through the establishment of family norms such as private ownership and inheritance, and this was done through the oppression of women. Functionalists argue that Marxists hold an overly negative view of the family. The Marxist perspective on the family is criticised generally and by other structural theories: More about Marxist Perspectives on the Family, Social Construction of Health and Illness, Representation of Social Class In The Media, Distribution of Wealth, Poverty, and Income in the UK, Theoretical Approaches to Welfare Providers. Bourdieu argued that all of the above factors mean that working-class children have a 'cultural deficit'. Resultantly, a small percentage of women are housewives. Lastly, we'll look at French philosopher and sociologist Louis Althusser's views on the family. This reinforces social class inequalities. He was a revolutionary on the back of the industrial . Middle-class children are also likely to know the 'right' ways of behaving, speaking, and dressing that are valued by other middle-class adults, such as teachers. 2. For functionalists, society is seen as a system of social institutions such as the economy, religion and the family all of which perform socialisation . Despite some experiments with communal living and alternative households immediately after the Russian Revolution, people have continued to live in family groups in communist countries too. Science & Society, 42-64. This is because it does not take into account the essential greediness and selfishness of the human being. If you are in doing business under Marxism, then basically, you would be working for the government, which means that are not going to work as an entrepreneur, freelancer or sole business owner because everything would run through the government. Have all your study materials in one place. (Original work published 1970). London: New Left. of capitalism and its main function is to As a result, teachers may not value or assess them as highly as middle-class children. Marxist feminists use Marxist concepts, but they see the exploitation of women as . The Marxist perspective ignores family diversity in capitalist society, the nuclear family is no longer the main type of family. argues that men unload their stress and anger towards the capitalist system on women, which leads to domestic violence. ; In Zaretsky's view, the family also serves as a vital unit of consumption. Examine Marxist Views on the role of the family (30 marks) A key feature of the Marxist perspective is the belief that society is centred around an unfair class division which is maintained through Capitalism. In a communist society, there would be no need for a private family unit as there would be no private property. Zaretsky believes the family performs both an ideological function and an economic function that benefits the bourgeoisie. According to Engels, when did the nuclear family structure arise and why? how social change, especially economic change, has impacted upon the family. Marxists . Simply put, a Marxist perspective is one that originates from the theory of Marxism. Answer and Explanation: Become a Study.com member to unlock this answer! According to Engels, the nuclear family structure arose during the emergence of capitalism. eds. Zaretsky sees the family as a major unit of consumption of goods and services. Marx's ideas were so influential that a third of the planet was ruled under his ideas in . Sharing the same table: consumption and the family. This means that Marxists see society as being structured along class lines. Identify your study strength and weaknesses. The vast majority of tribes in Africa and Asia are patriarchal, with women being barred from owning property, having no political power, and having to do most of the child care and hard physical labour. 3. Marxism in sociology is a key conflict theory originating from the work of Karl Marx. Psychoanalytic View. Its too deterministic it assumes people passively accept socialisation and family life, and that the future is pre-determined. It wrongly holds that what is real is matter. 481 Words. It socialises children into accepting capitalist ideologies and authority, which prepares them to accept control and exploitation in the workplace. Apart from economic capital, which other types of capital did Bourdieu discuss? Strengths and Weaknesses of the Functionalist View on Society Functionalism is a consensus perspective, whereby society is based on shared values and norms into which members are socialised. Instead of seeing a consensual society which works to benefit all its members, they see a society based on class struggle, which works to benefit a rich minority. This could include toys, tablets, and subscriptions to entertainment. Content is fact checked after it has been edited and before publication. The Sociological Review, 28(1_suppl), 214-231. This means that every person would be able to get access to the most important things he needs regardless of whatever he does, wherever he lives or how much he makes to provide a better living for those depending on him. In Zaretsky's view, the family works in the interests of capitalism. . There are two additional main factors that drive the family as a unit of consumption in the view of contemporary Marxists (Delphy, 1980): Families must keep up with the material goods and services acquired by neighbors and peers. This makes both the parents and children think the exploitation is 'normal' and creates false class consciousness. Companies build demand for their products through targeted advertising to children, who request expensive products from their parents. This perspective is a macro-level approach most identified with the writings of German philosopher and sociologist Karl Marx (1818-1883), who saw society as being made up of two classes, the bourgeoisie (capitalist) and the proletariat (workers), who must compete for . Violent and radical social change cannot be explained adequately by a theory that emphasizes consensus. Althusser argues that the family, as part of the superstructure of capitalist society, socializes children into norms and values that are useful to the capitalist ruling class. Indeed, Marxists have done little research to investigate whether members of families actually do have this relationship with capitalism. Pros of Marxism. A strength of the functionalism theory is socialisation and how social order is achieved through it. Marxists believe that the family is a tool Through mass media and advertising, families are influenced to compete through consumption. The Marxist perspective on the family focuses on the nuclear family and ignores other family types that exist in contemporary society. By arguing Parsons' 'function' of the family (particularly the wife) as an 'emotional safety-valve' to absorb the husbands frustrations is . Stop procrastinating with our smart planner features. Zaretsky, N. (2010). Marxism relies on people to work hard just because they should and to forego the ability to get rich from their efforts. This reinforces social class inequalities. This is also referred to as 'keeping up with the Joneses'. Strengths and weaknesses of religious theories by Durkheim, Marx, and Freud. Marxism is a as conflict perspective as it describes a form of inequality . Will you pass the quiz? False needs, meanwhile, arise due to the demands of the capitalist system rather than the real needs of individuals. It creates a system of true equality. Communism is a possible occurrence in Marxism, as this philosophy is believed to lead to dictatorship. EXAMPLE:"Wown" said Ms. Gage "just listen to those, African drummers!" Economist, philosopher, sociologist, revolutionary socialist and journalist Karl Marx is regarded in history as the Father of Marxism, where much of the philosophy has to do with his obsession with the ideas of George Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, who has been called the Aristotle of modern times and used his system of dialectics to explain the whole of the history of philosophy, art, science, religion and politics. For others, such as Marxists, families are the mark of an unequal society. Marx's interpretation of human nature begins with human need. Fact checkers review articles for factual accuracy, relevance, and timeliness. Create beautiful notes faster than ever before. Earn points, unlock badges and level up while studying. 4. Feminist perspectives have based their analysis on Marxist views. Media and companies target children through advertising. The basic principle of Marxist theory is that society is in constant conflict because it is divided into two social classes. Eventually the Bourgeois started to look for ways to pass on their wealth to the next generation, rather than having it shared out amongst the masses, and this is where the monogamous nuclear family comes from. Honesty alone bridges the communication gap. Thus, there is no material benefit for the family itself, only for the capitalist structure. children do learn the skills necessary for lower status occupations-state schools tend to emphasize practical work and apprenticeships. (9), their exegesis of Sartre's Marxism, shows. Assessment on Marx's Religious Viewpoints Recounting Class War in Society While depicting a kind of similarity indicating Marx's empathic religious views with that of Hebrew prophets, who brought in protest against religion having said that temple rituals followed by the priests as a means to sought for their own security and individual comfort instead of establishing . Something else Marxists suggest about the family (like the Functional Fit theory) is that the family type generally changes with society more specifically, the nuclear family emerges not because of the needs of industrialisation, but because of the needs of the capitalist system. Marxist View on the Family. The family harms women more than the working class, as there are gender inequalities within the working class too. The family is described as an ideological apparatus this means it socialises people to think in a way that justifies inequality and encourages people to accept the capitalist system as fair, natural and unchangeable. 2) The media and companies target children in their advertising who then persuade their parents through pester power to buy more expensive items. If you look at the Marxist theory, it considers society as a whole, which means that it acknowledges all the social forces involved, including the power interests of different groups. of the users don't pass the Marxist Perspectives on the Family quiz! For Zaretsky, the family could only serve as a way of providing psychological support for its members when there is an end to capitalism (Tilly, 1978). There is not much research to suggest that the emergence of capitalism. Therefore, its strength lies in upholding procreation and advises people to view procreation as an excellent and essential aspect of their lives. Univ of North Carolina Press. Ironically, when huge multi-nationals dominate the entire world economy, capital advocates would tell us that the future lies with small businesses or always state that Small is beautiful. The major weakness of Marxism is that it does not seem to work in the real world. I have chosen to write about Marxism as it is the starting foundation for the class system we use today. 2 - The nuclear family structure allows for the inheritance of private property, which reproduces social class inequalities. This means that there would be no organized religion, which would affect prominent beliefs followed around the world, including Christianity and Judaism. The role and function of the family is to uphold the capitalist superstructure. Over 10 million students from across the world are already learning smarter. Along with the creation of social class inequalities, Engels claimed that the nuclear family also created gender inequality as men took control of women's sexuality and labour to reproduce and raise the next generations. Worth noting that Capitalist power structures and labour relations are foreign concepts to early humans, so it reproducing capitalist power structures are necessary in order to hijack ones human nature per se (pre-agricultural societies were largely collective), therefore rationalizing it or conditioning consumers. 2002-2023 Tutor2u Limited. These children can then persuade their parents to buy more expensive items. Zaretskys theory is clearly outdated: it assumes the worker is male and that there is only one worker in the family. Such demands are created through targeted advertising from companies. Fascism is a kind of government system which is approximately opposite of democracy. How does the nuclear family serve the interests of the capitalist system? The strength of conflict theory is that it seeks moral ends: the emancipation of humanity from false claims of "universality.". This weakness benefits the boss. Feminists argue that the Marxist focus on social class inequalities downplays the role of patriarchy, which is the real source of female oppression. They see society as structured along class lines with institutions generally working in the interests of the small elite class who have economic power (the Bourgeoisie) and the much larger working class (the Proletariat). This is because the bourgeoisie had to find a way to keep property from being shared with everyone else. 9essays/ essay plans spanning all the topics within the families and households topic. Marxists also say functionalist fail to explain conflict and change within society as it is shown as harmonious. Freud's psychoanalytic perspective viewed religion as the unconscious mind's need for wish fulfillment. 2. Although Marxisms system of government is considered as communism, it places an emphasis on human rights, with its foundation encompassing equal gender roles, health care and access to education. Unequal gender relations existed before the emergence of capitalism, contrary to Engels' belief. During the time of 'primitive communism', there was no private property and thus no social classes or private family units. Lassalle proposed reformism, that is, the view that socialism has to be brought about through democratic procedures, such as universal voting. Feminist perspectives offer a revolutionary critical lens for studying families and for challenging traditional understandings of sex, gender, sexualities, conceptualizations of families . 2 Strengths. These can include things that make life in a capitalist system bearable, such as things that fulfill a need for distraction. The functionalist approach illustrates how a social institution can work at two different levels - both fulfilling the needs of each individual and meeting the needs of the whole society at the same time. Boston Spa, Lenin and philosophy and other essays (B. Brewster, Trans.). Instead of smaller families, there were large groups of hunters and gatherers working together to survive. The division of labor pits man against his fellow man; it creates class differences; it destroys the unity of the human race. The last hundred years has also ushered in a diversity of family forms such as dual-career families, single-person households, same-sex couples, polyamorous groups, and so on. Functions of the family: Marxism Instead, property was collectively owned, and this was reflected in family structures. 3. In such societies, property was collectively owned, and the family structure reflected this there were no families as such, but tribal groups existed in a kind of promiscuous horde in which there were no restrictions on sexual relationships.Hunter-gatherer societies promiscuous hordes? The monogamous nuclear family guaranteed that people could pass on their property to their own kin, as monogamy made clear whose children were whom (Stern, 1948). Instead they argue . Workers who have families are also less likely to rebel against their bosses, such as by going on strike, because the loss of earnings could affect not only them, but also their dependents. Key to understanding this theory of the family as a "unit of consumption" is the idea of "false needs." Engels doesn't cater for family diversity. This benefits society as a whole, not just a particular group. Set individual study goals and earn points reaching them. The Marxist Perspective on the Family and Overiew: This post has been written primarily for students studying the families and household option as part of A-level sociology. It's important to consider the Marxist perspective on marriage, as it leads to the discussion about the status of women under capitalism. Zaretsky believes that the nuclear family has several important functions that benefit the capitalist structure: imparting capitalist ideology, and acting as a unit of consumption. On the other hand, working-class children are less likely to enjoy such benefits and thus may miss out on work and educational opportunities. Marxists explain the ideological role of families in society and suggest reasons people feel strongly about family structures, Marxism offers an explanation of why families first developed in society, Marxism points out the unpleasant aspects of family life and the inequalities of power within the family, Feminist perspectives have based their analysis on Marxist views, Engels doesn't cater for family diversity, Women are now generally in control of their sexuality e.g.

What Do Fainting Goats Eat, List Of Cars That Use H7 Bulbs, Articles M