Theories Of The Family (conflict Theories)

The Marxist perspective

Marxists see all institutions in capitalist society as contributing to the maintenance of exploitation. The family is seen as an oppressive institution that performs several important functions for capitalism

- Passing on wealth: Engels argues that, as private property became more important, men who controlled it needed to ensure they could pass it to their own sons and this led to the monogamous marriage. But this also meant that women becoming the private property of their husband, who controlled their sexuality to ensure he was the father of her children.

- Ideological Functions: Zaretsky argues that there is a cult of private life the belief that we can only gain fulfilment from family life and this distracts people from exploitation.

- Unit of consumption: Capitalism needs consumers to buy its products. The family is an important market for consumer goods and therefore enables capitalists to make profits.

The Feminist perspective

- Liberal Feminists: argue that gender inequality is gradually being overcome through legal reforms and policy changes, e.g. Equal Pay, challenging stereotypes and changing people s attitudes and socialisation. This is a march of progress view e.g. the new man is becoming more widespread.

- Marxist Feminists: argue that capitalism is the main cause of women s oppression in the family and this performs several functions for capitalism

i) Reproducing the labour force: women socialise the next generation of workers and service the current one, for free.

ii) Absorbing men s anger: that would otherwise be directed at capitalism. Wives soak up their husband s frustration that comes from being exploited at work. Ainsley takers of shit .

iii) A reserve army of cheap labour: for when men are not there to work, e.g. times of war, or when the wages of men need to be brought down. However, when not needed, women workers return to their domestic role

Marxist feminists argue that women s oppression in the family is linked to exploitation of the working class. Therefore, the family must be abolished at the same time as capitalism.

- Radical Feminists: argue that patriarchy is the main cause of women s oppression, the family and marriage are key patriarchal institutions. Where men benefit from women s unpaid domestic and sexual services, and where men dominate women through violence or the threat of it. For radical feminists, the patriarchal system must be overturned and the family abolished. Some radical feminists, believe in political lesbianism and complete separatism from men.

- Difference Feminism: argues that not all women share the same experiences of oppression women of different ethnicities, class backgrounds etc. may have different experiences of the family. For example, by regarding the family solely as a source of oppression, white feminists neglect black women s experience of racism. Many black feminists, see the black family positively as a source of support in a racist society.

The Personal Life Perspective (PLP)

PLP takes a bottom up approach in understanding families, we must look at the meanings individual family members give to their relationships. This contrasts with Functionalism, Marxism and Feminism, which take a top down structural approach.

By focusing on people s meanings, PLP draws attention to a range of other personal relationships that are important to people even though they may not be conventionally defined, by blood or marriage, as family .

These include all kinds of relationships that individuals see as significant and that give them a sense of relatedness, such as relationships with same-sex chosen families , fictive kin, friends, dead relatives, pets etc.

These relationships raise questions about what counts as family from the view point of individuals involved

Nordqvist and Smart: research on donor-conceived children found that parents often emphasised the importance of social relationships over genetic ones in defining family . Where couples knew their donor, they had to resolve questions about whether he or she counted as family and Lesbian couples were concerned that the sperm donor might be treated as the real second parent.