Marxist and Feminist Views of the Family

While functionalists and the New Right view the family as a broadly positive institution, Marxists and feminists offer sharply critical perspectives. Both see the family as a site of inequality and exploitation — but they disagree about the primary source of that inequality. For Marxists, it is class; for feminists, it is gender. Understanding these perspectives is essential for AQA A-Level Sociology (7192).

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The Marxist Perspective on the Family

Marxism is a conflict theory that sees society as based on the exploitation of the working class (proletariat) by the capitalist class (bourgeoisie). The family is not a neutral, harmonious institution — it serves the interests of capitalism.

Engels (1884): The Origin of the Family

Friedrich Engels (1884), Marx's collaborator, argued in The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State that the family as we know it emerged alongside private property.