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Sociology Marxism explained
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AS SociologyFamilies & Households
Studyguide 3
Marxism and the Family
Whereas functionalists generally see the family as good for both
society and the individual, Marxists are much more pessimistic
about the role of the family. They suggest that the family is used
by the capitalist class to ensure that the extreme inequalities in
wealth and income produced by the capitalist economic system
are never challenged by the working-class or the poor.
The similarities between Marxism and
Functionalism
Marxism and Functionalism are both examples of macro or structural
theories. They are mainly interested in how the family contributes to the
overall running of society rather than how people experience family life
on a daily basis. Like functionalists, then, Marxists are keen to find out what
the overall purpose or function of the family is for society.
The Marxist theory of capitalist society
Marxists reject the functionalist view that society is based on value
consensus and therefore operates for the benefit for all. Instead they argue
capitalist society is organised around conflict between social classes
and exploitation rather than social order (as functionalists believe).
The most important part of capitalist society, according to Marxists, is the
economy which they call the ‘economic infrastructure’. Marxists note
that capitalist societies are based on competition. Members of the
capitalist class or bourgeoisie compete with each other to produce
manufactured goods via factory production. This elite controls the wealth
or capital of society and consequently owns the ‘means of
production’, i.e. the factories, the technology and machines etc.
However, the capitalist class needs the labour power of the majority class,
i.e. the working class or proletariat. Marxists argue that the relationship
between the capitalist class and the working class (known as the social
relations of production) is characterised by exploitation because the
wages of the working class do not reflect the true value of the work that
they do for the bourgeoisie. The difference between the wage paid and the
true value of the work done by the proletariat is known as surplus value.
This is pocketed by the capitalist class and is the source of their great
wealth. The capitalist infrastructure therefore is characterised by
great class inequalities in income and wealth.
This exploitation is a potential problem for the capitalist class because if
the working class become conscious that they are being exploited,
they may rise up in
1
, AS Sociology
Families & Households
Studyguide 3
violent revolution against the capitalist class.
Marxists argue that the bourgeoisie has created something called the
‘superstructure’ to deal with this potential problem. The superstructure is
made up of social institutions such as the family, the education
system, the mass media, religion and the political system. The main
function of the superstructure is to socialise people into ruling class
or bourgeois ideology – a set of ideas that convince those at the
bottom of society that
Capitalist society is fairly organised.
That those at the top of society deserve their success.
That those at the bottom of society are there as a result of
their own shortcomings, e.g. they have not worked hard
enough, they are not bright enough etc.
These ideas are presented as ‘facts’ but in reality they are
falsehoods because the capitalist system is organised by the
capitalist class to benefit themselves and their children.
Marxists therefore argue that the working class are kept in a state of
false class consciousness – they are never aware of the true extent of
their exploitation and are encouraged instead to focus on improving their
standard of living through working harder, and through consumerism and
materialism. They are discouraged from thinking about changes to the
capitalist system, e.g. by insisting on a fairer distribution of society’s wealth
and resources.
From a Marxist perspective, the family is part of the superstructure of
capitalist system and therefore it functions to socialise children into
norms and values that result in them becoming passive law-abiding
citizens and workers who are happy to accept their lot at the
bottom of society. In other words, the family functions to transmit
ruling-class ideology.
Marxist theories of the family
(1) The origins of the family: Friedrich Engels
The first Marxist writer on the family was Friedrich Engels who examined
the way in which the family had evolved and changed throughout
history. Engels divided the history of humanity into two main eras:
(1) The era of primitive communism - Engels claimed that during
the early stages of human evolution there was no private property
and the family as we know it today did not exist. Human beings lived
in 'promiscuous hordes' or tribes. There were very few rules
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