The Marxist view of the family is that the primary responsibility of its existence is to continue to develop the industrial society due to the fact that, in the eyes of Marxists, its main role is to perpetuate capitalism. The bourgeoisie, or higher class, remain rich whilst the proletariat, otherwise known as the lower class, remain poorer. The proletariat are socialised by the family to not question their role in society and to always remain hard working employees in order to keep society in the order that it is in now. The Marxist views of the nuclear family can be assessed in whether or not they are effective theories as they can be compared to other theorists’ views of the family. Functionalists and Feminists have varying theories on the existence of the family that both coincide with the Marxist view and also contrast with it.

Marxists have concluded that one of the sole reasons the nuclear family exists is the inheritance of property. A theorist named Fredrich Engels believes the existence of monogamous marriage – being married to one person in one time – exists exclusively in society so that the inheritance of private property can be easily passed down throughout generations without confusion of which child it should go to. This aims to aid money staying within the family, which therefore means the bourgeoisie can pass down property to their heirs and the rich stay rich, while the poor who have nothing to pass onto their future generations stay poor. However, this theory has its criticisms. It can be argued that several of the marriages within society take place between couples who do not have a lot to give to future generations. Poor people will not have the money or property to pass on to their children, yet they remain in monogamous marriages out of sheer love for each other. Every marriage in society cannot be a product of the desire to pass on