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Assess the Marxist View That the Main Role of the Family Is to Serve the Interests of Capitalism.

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The theory of Marxism, devised by Karl Marx, is based on the conflict of classes in society. The ideas are centred around the injustice created by the division of wealth between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat. Marxists believe that the middle and upper classes exploit the working class for their labour, and create a false class consciousness that allows the proletariat masses to believe that this is a fair system. This theory also attempts to analyse and explain the family structure, criticising it on the basis that the family is an institution built solely to serve capitalist ideals and the bourgeoisie.

There are several factors that support the idea that the family’s main role is to serve capitalism. For example, Marxists believe that the introduction of monogamy to society was caused by the need of men to be sure that their sons are genetically entitled to their assets. This oppression of women was put in place by men who supported capitalism, to allow their children to keep the wealth within their family. Marxists argue that monogamy turned women into ‘a mere instrument to reproduce the next generation’ showing that through the demand of women to create the ideal family, capitalism can thrive on the socialisation of the young into sharing their values and ideals. This shows that the monogamous nuclear family serves as an effective institution to maintain the capitalist values within society.

Another factor to support the idea that the family maintains capitalism is the socialisation of young children into agreeing with the values and beliefs of the bourgeoisie. From a very young age, children are separated by their class into certain schools. While this system is less apparent in modern society, it is still present. Marxists believe that there is a culture capital within schools that all children aspire to be congruent with, and this culture capital

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