Theoretical perspectives Families/Households: Marxist

Marxist Perspective on Families and Households

General Overview: The Marxists’ View

Marxists see the family as part of the superstructure, which is influenced by the economic base of society and helps to maintain and justify the capitalist system.
The family, in this perspective, is seen as a tool of capitalist societies, serving its needs and contributing to the persistence of social inequalities.

Functions of the Family for Capitalism

Marxists argue that families raise the future labour force cheaply by socialising children into societal norms and values. This helps reproduce necessary human resources for capitalism.
Families are consumers of goods and services, thus fuelling capitalist consumer culture and contributing to the profits of businessmen.
According to Friedrich Engels, marriage and the family are rooted in private property relations. They play a key role in the transfer of property between generations, thereby preserving wealth and social inequalities.

Criticisms of the Traditional Nuclear Family

The traditional nuclear family is seen as a hindrance to social equality. It’s a social construct that reinforces capitalist values, including patriarchy and class exploitation.
Marxists argue that the family serves to brainwash individuals into conforming to capitalist ideology, a concept known as ideological control.

Gender Inequalities: The Marxist Feminist View

Marxist feminists view the family as a means of exploiting women, both in their roles as unpaid homemakers and as consumers of household goods.
They argue that the domestic work provided by women within their families serves to subsidise the capitalist economy, as it is unpaid labour that benefits the bourgeoisie.

Changes Over Time: The Modern Family

Not all Marxist sociologists agree that the traditional family structure is the only one that supports capitalism. Some suggest that variations in family forms – such as single-parent families and cohabitation – might also uphold the capitalist system by adapting to its needs and constraints.
The plurality of families in modern societies could be seen as a reflection of the capitalist drive for profit, as diverse family forms create new markets for goods and services.

Critique of the Marxist Perspective

Critics argue that the Marxist perspective overemphasizes economic factors and neglects other influences on families, such as cultural or emotional aspects.
Some argue that the Marxist perspective can be too deterministic, suggesting that individuals have no agency in shaping their family lives.
Others point out that evidence of familial diversity and fluidity contradicts the Marxist idea of a single, dominant family type serving capitalism. This raises the question of how accurately the Marxist perspective represents the complexity and diversity of contemporary families and households.