...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...
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...elsewhere, assess the Marxist view that the main role of the family is to serve the interests of capitalism Marxists see all society’s institutions, such as the education system, the media, religion and the state, alone with the family as helping to maintain class inequality and capitalism. Capitalism, also known as Marxism, is a perspective based on the ideas of Karl Marx. It sees society as divided into two opposed classes, capitalist class, who own means of production and the working class, whose labour the capitalists exploit for profit. In a capitalist society, goods and businesses are owned privately for the purpose of profit. For Marxists, the functions of the family are performed purely for the benefit of the capitalist system. This view contrasts sharply with the functionalist view that the family benefits both society as a whole and all the individual members of the family. But however for Marxists, the functions of the family do not meet the needs of society as a whole but meet the needs of capitalism. Marxists have identified several functions that they see in the family fulfilling for capitalism, one of the functions is inheritance of property. Marxists argue that the key factor determining the shape of all social institutions, including the family, is the mode of production. In modern society, it is capitalist class that owns and controls these means of production. As the mode of production evolves, so does the family. Engels view which was promiscuous horde or...
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...Functionalists see the family as an immensely important sub-system of society. Murdock acclaimed that one of the four essential functions that the family performs in order to meet the needs of society and its members is to 'stabilise satisfaction of the sex drive with the same partner'. As this prevents the ‘social disruption’ caused by promiscuity. However, Marxists would argue that this role serves more as an economic function, as it allows property ownership and wealth to be directly passed onto the legitimate heirs of the father. The second function that Murdock believed that the family performed was to 'reproduce the next generation' as without this function, society would not continue. The third purpose of the family is to socialise the young into society's shared norms and values. And lastly, the fourth function of the family is to meet its member’s economic needs and provide basic amenities such as shelter, clean water and food. According to Parson, there are two basic types of society, one of which is the traditional pre-industrial society, which he felt was more tailored to the extended family. In an extended family a vast number of people would be needed to successfully undertake tasks such as weaving and farming, in order for the family to make a profit and govern themselves. The other type of social group is the modern industrial society, which is more suited for the nuclear family, based on the theory of functional fit. Parson's Functional fit theory suggests...
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...| Capitalism vs. Socialism during the 1920’s | Diamond Jackson | | History II Dr. Hilton | | | Upton Sinclairs’ The Jungle is a common form of muckraking during the 20’s. The book is about a Lithuanian family who relocated to the US in hopes of finding success and building better lives. After hearing the story of how America supports the idea of freedom, and has unlimited opportunity, the main character Jurgis is convinced America was the place to be. Once arriving to America and coming in contact with the reality of the myth of his ideal society, Jurgis exposes the deeply rooted capitalism and the effects and problems that it causes. Because of this, Sinclair feels that socialism is the remedy to the capitalistic conditions he’s now a part of. Andrew Carnegies’ The Gospel of Wealth is a viewpoint of how beneficial capitalism is to American society and economy which is seen through the eyes of a high-class businessperson. Carnegie discusses the history of there being an equal society, the natural law of competition, and the capitalistic results and benefits. Sinclairs’ The Jungle and Carnegies’ The Gospel of Wealth are opposing viewpoints, therefore when it comes to the unequal distribution of wealth and ideas about capitalism and socialism both arguments are supportive and reasonable to a certain extent. In the 1920’s, the unequal distribution of wealth is evident and Americans start to see many cultural changes. America has now adopted the idea of...
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...Corporate Social Responsibility Paper Corporate social responsibility, CSR, has three major trends. Shared Value, Conscious Capitalism, and Social Business. Throughout this paper, I will be discussing these major trends and demonstrating how different businesses embody them. These major trends do not always work together. However, many businesses demonstrate one or two of these trends. In today’s world, corporate social responsibility is something that every business should make a great effort to incorporate into their business model. This is important because corporate social responsibility is how businesses are impacting society. CSR is a way for businesses to have some accountability in making sure their products or services do not impact the environment or community in a negative way. Throughout the next few pages, you will read examples of companies in our current society and prove how these companies are applying these trends to their business models. Shared value is the first trend of CSR. Shared value was introduced in a Harvard Business Review article. Strategy & Society: The link between Competitive Advantage and Corporate Social Responsibility was published in late 2006 by Michael E. Porter and Mark R. Kramer. Both Kramer and Porter helped spread the word about shared value and revealed how it works and why shared value was a necessary component to society. Porter has been considered to be the front-runner on competitive strategy and is the chair...
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...essay is going to explain three mostly commonly mentioned sociological theories of the family which are Functionalism, Marxism and Feminism. | Functionalists believe that each part of society has a function, and they are very positive about society so they always see the good in all things. By looking at society on a large scale they argue that society is based on consensus, meaning that we are socialised to agree on the norms and values in order to survive. Functionalists believe that the family should be seen to perform functions which benefit both its members and society in general. According to Murdock (1949), "the family is a universal institution with universal functions". | In other words, families are found in all societies regardless of for example culture differences. Functions performed universally are reproduction which keeps the human race, primary socialisation which teaches children the norms and values of society, economic where family provides for its members such as food and shelter, and educational where family socialises the young into society’s norms and values which are affected by culture and class. Functionalists believe that the following functions are important for the wellbeing of society. Murdock strongly believes that the nuclear family represents all the above functions and he argues that no adequate substitute can replace it. In other words all other family structures are damaging the society. | However, Marxists refuse the functionalists views...
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...The functionalists have a very positive view of the family, as they see society as being based on a set of norms and values, a value consensus, into which society socialises its members. They see society as a system made up of different parts or sub-systems, and regard the family as a very important sub system, that works with other systems like education and the economy to meet the needs of society. The way in which all these systems collaborate is much similar to that of organs in an animal, as they all depend upon each other to function. The family is seen as the basic building block of society. Parsons believes that there are two kinds of family, and that the type of family found depends on the needs of the society at the time. The extended family of three generations was common during the pre-industrial stage, where the family relied upon each other for care in old age, care of children and economic survival. The nuclear family became prominent after the industrial revolution, with the needs of society changing, such as Britain needing a geographically mobile workforce that was capable of moving to get various jobs where they were available. Parsons argued that it is easier for the nuclear family to do so than it was for the 3 generation pre-industrial family. Another functionalist called Murdock largely agrees with Parsons, but says the nuclear family performs four essential functions to meet the needs of society and its members. Firstly, it provides stable satisfaction...
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...The claim that the main function of education is to maintain a value consensus in society is portrayed by different sociologists in different ways e.g. feminists believe that to maintain a value consensus in society, patriarchy needs to be abolished. Different theorists believe in different functions of the education system, some think of it as promoting value consensus and some see otherwise. Functionalist Durkheim (1993) identified the two main functions of education were, creating social solidarity and teaching specialist skills. Durkheim argues that society needs a sense of solidarity, without social solidarity, social life and cooperation would be impossible because each individual would pursue their own selfish desires; the role of education is to produce social solidarity. School also acts as a ‘society in miniature’, preparing us for life in wider society, school serves a function that cannot be provided the family or peer groups and that individuals must learn to cooperate with those who are neither family nor friends, he says the school is a place where these skills can be learned. Modern industrial economies have a complex division of labour, where the production of even a single item usually involves the cooperation of many different specialists. Durkheim argues that education teaches individuals the specialist knowledge and skill that they need to play their part in the social division of labour, therefore the main function of education is to maintain a value...
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...Structured sets of social relationships are the 'reality' that lie below the appearance of 'the free individual' of western individualism. Structuralism focuses on the particular set of 'structural laws' that apply in any one society. Despite their differences, both functionalism and Marxism use a model of how society as a whole works. Many functionalists base their model of society around the assumption of basic needs and go to explain how different parts of society help to meet those needs. Marxists, on the other hand, see society as resting upon an economic base or infrastructure, with a superstructure above it. They see society as divided into social classes which have the potential to be in conflict with each other. However, the main differences between functionalist and Marxist perspectives then, is the way they characterize the social structure. Functionalists stress the extent to which the different elements of the social structure fit together harmoniously. Marxists stress the lack of fit between the different parts, particularly social classes, and so emphasize the potential for social conflict. Not all sociological...
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...the family. A function is a purpose and explains how this institution contributes to the maintenance and smooth running of society this approach to society is called functionalism. From a functionalists point of view a family is a heterosexual couple with dependent children, male is the breadwinner and woman is the housewife. Functionalists believe that the nuclear family supports society because it is geographically mobile and allows the family to move around with little trouble. Functionalists believe that society is based on a shared value consensus, this is a set of shared norms and values into which society socializes its members this enables society to work harmoniously and meet society's needs and goals. George Murdoch said that their are four main functions of the nuclear family these are; sexual, it strengthens relations in the family. Reproductive, family is the main unit of production. Educational, family is responsible for primary education. Economic, the family has to produce and consume something in order to satisfy its needs and wants. The nuclear family can be extended vertically, horizontally or by polygamy. Some may argue that Murdoch's definition is weak because at that time sex before marriage was not accepted as was single mothers and homo-sexual families. Talcott Parsons argued that although there are many functions that the family has lost with changes in society there are two essential functions the family has...
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...“Religion can be both a conservative force and an initiator of social change” to what extent do sociological arguments and evidence support this view? Sociologists such as Durkheim and Marx have argued that religion is a conservative force in the sense that it maintains the status quo, disagreeing with sociologists such as Weber and Gramsci who say it is a more radical force and prompts change, and even some fundamentalist groups have gotten involved to argue that religion is conservative in the sense that it keeps tradition and the old ways. Even feminists such as De Beauvoir have had a say in this matter. Functionalists and Marxists have the general consensus that religion maintains the status quo within society rather than it causing social change. They believe that religion acts as a conservative force preventing social change. However, if any change happens it is due to the changes in society that shape religion. Religion as a conservative force can be defined in two ways; the first way of defining religion as a conservative force is to refer to religion as preventing change and maintaining the status quo. The functionalist perspective and Marxists perspective both provide arguments to support this definition of religion as a conservative force. Durkheim supports the idea that religion is a conservative force with his idea of a collective conscience, which is the shared morals and beliefs uniting society. Durkheim believed that "religion promotes social solidarity."...
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...that education is an important ideological state apparatus that helps to control people’s ideas and beliefs. He suggests education has two purposes. It reproduces class inequalities through the generations by ensuring that most working-class pupils experience educational failure. Education also legitimates this inequality, persuading the working class to accept educational and social inequalities. Other Marxists have also pointed to the existence of a hidden curriculum in schools. Using material from Item A and elsewhere, assess the contribution of Marxism to our understanding of the role of education. (20 marks) Marx believed that the ruling class do not just own the means of production but they also rule as thinkers and producers of ideas. From a young age the ruling class were taught that you should rule by ideas, which is more powerful than ruling by force. This is because some people become angry when they say no. In education you are taught certain norms and values. For example attendance, punctuality, obedience, respect – hand up in class before speaking. If the pupils do not conform to these rules then they would get punished. Marx believes that education teaches young people that you need to accept the ideas of the ruling class even if they don’t agree with them. For them to believe in this it supports the upper class and capitalism. Critical modernists like Morrow and Torres (1998) criticise Marxists for taking a ‘class first’ approach. They see class as the key inequality...
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...Assignment Community and Family Studies Date of submission 14-11-2013 Word count 1362 The aim of this study is to compare and contrast Marx and Durkheim’s theories of society and social change. Compare draw an analogy between one thing and another for the purposes of explanation or clarification: (Anon., 2013) Contrast the state of being strikingly different from something else in juxtaposition or close association: (Anon., 2013) In conclusion Emile Durkheim and Karl Marx challenged the aspect of social structure in their works. Emile Durkheim is known as functionalist states that everything serves a function in society and his main concern to discover what that role was. In contrast Karl Marx, a conflict theorist, emphases that society is a complicated structure characterized by inequality and conflict that generates social change. Equally Durkheim and Marx were bothered with the characteristics of groups and structures rather than with individuals. Durkheim employed the concept of social intergration in his study of suicide particularly in relation to the strength of social bonds between the individual and society. ( slide number Lisa Walshe 2006) Marx was concerened with class conflict.He saw that the concentrations of industrys wealth were increasingly in the hands of a few “in a society so rich how could so many be so poor”...
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...Examine the main trends in births and deaths since 1900 24 Marks The birth rate and death rate over the years has had a general trend of decrease. The birth rate is defined as the number of live births per 1000 per population per year. The death rate is defined as the number of deaths per 1000 of the population per year. The decrease in these rates has been due to a number of factors. One reason for the fall in the birth rate is as a result of the declining infant mortality rate (IMR). This has meant as a factor that because there are less infant deaths before their first birthday, there are a number of fewer children needing to be born as replacements for those that the parents have lost. The IMR in 1900 was 154 whereas this has fallen to just 4.4 in 2014. This decline in the IMR has been due to better awareness of nutrition and a vast improvement in the NHS care of post-natal mothers by setting up support clinics. But sociologists have argued that the trend to smaller families first happened in urbanised areas where the IMR remained quite high. Another main reason for the fall in the birth rate is the changes that have happened since 1900 to give a better position to women in society. The changing position of women has contributed to more women now choosing to have a career before children and with an easier access to divorce and family diversity being acknowledged Liberal Feminists have argued that now women have an increased choice and are a step closer to being free...
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...should only be temporary and used only to gear the population towards true order and then step down and let the work cycle continued. Many of the communist ideology is predominantly theory and is highly criticized by many nations. In today's day and age many countries have decided to opt out of the communist social structure because it is unpractical and does not provide true equality as theorized. Communism was a fairly modern ideology founded only about 120 years ago but has lingered throughout history. The majour man honoured with the creation of communism is Karl Marx who lived between 1818-1883 and was born in Germany but then fled to the United Kingdom. Marx was a major activist during the time period he lived in witch was the boom of capitalism. Marx joined a communist political party and was a newspaper journalist. He also wrote many books on his views most of which were considered communist. Marx's detested the capitalist ideology and saw many flaws...
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