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Sociology

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Sociology
Assess the Marxist view that the main role of the family is to serve the interests of Capitalism.
It can be said that the main role of the family is to serve the interest of Capitalism, which is the economic system that we live in today where the bourgeoisie own the means of production and people are motivated by profit and money. One perspective to support this view is the Marxist approach; they believe the main role of the family is to serve the needs of capitalism by keeping the bourgeoisie rich and the proletariat poor. However a contrasting theory is Functionalist view, they believe that the family benefits society rather than benefiting capitalism. Another contrasting theory is the feminist views who believe that the role of the family is to benefit men and the patriarchal society.
Marxists argue that the main role of the family is to serve the interests of capitalism. Marxists use the example of inheritance to support this view. The psychologist Engels produced the inheritance theory which is the idea that family had the economic function of keeping wealth within the family of the bourgeoisie. This occurred by passing money onto the next generation as inheritance. There are no disputes about who receives the money, so it therefore keeps the rich stay rich. However the New Right believe that the working class receive benefits which allow the working class to have money which contrasts the view of keeping money within the bourgeoisie. Only working class families receive benefits therefore this creates an advantage for the working class as they are receiving money where the bourgeoisie do not.
Marxists also argue that the family can serve the interests of capitalism through creating a more efficient workforce in the proletariat families. Psychologists such as Zaretsky say the role of the women within the family is to motivate the men. Family is one place in society where the proletariat have power and control. When the working class men get home he is

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