The family is often portrayed as a loving, supportive unit that benefits both individuals and society. However, Marxist sociologists offer a critical perspective that challenges this view. They see the family as an institution that primarily serves the interests of capitalism and helps maintain an unequal class system.
Key Definitions:
Marxists view society as divided into two main classes: the ruling class (bourgeoisie) who own the means of production and the working class (proletariat) who sell their labour. They argue that the family serves the interests of capitalism by:
Friedrich Engels, in his work "The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State" (1884), argued that the modern family emerged with private property and capitalism. He believed that:
According to Marxists, the family serves several economic functions that benefit capitalism while exploiting family members:
Marxists argue that the family is encouraged by capitalism because it creates a reliable unit of consumers. Family members are pressured to buy products to maintain their status and keep up with other families.
Advertisers target families with messages about what a "proper" family should own. This creates artificial needs and encourages spending.
Each family needs its own home, appliances and goods. This is more profitable than communal living arrangements.
Family celebrations like Christmas and birthdays have become highly commercialised, pressuring families to spend money.
Marxist feminists highlight how women's unpaid work in the home benefits capitalism:
Women typically perform most household tasks for free: cooking, cleaning, childcare and emotional support. This work:
If this domestic labour was paid at market rates, it would cost employers or the state billions. By keeping this work within the family and unpaid, capitalism gets these services for free. According to the Office for National Statistics, unpaid household work in the UK was valued at £1.24 trillion in 2016 – equivalent to about 63% of GDP.
Marxist feminists like Benston (1972) argue that women serve as a "reserve army of labour" under capitalism. When the economy needs more workers (like during World Wars I and II), women are encouraged to join the workforce. When these workers are no longer needed, women are pushed back into the home through ideological messages about their "natural" role as mothers and homemakers.
During the 2008 financial crisis, women in the UK were disproportionately affected by austerity measures, with many losing public sector jobs and being forced to take on more unpaid care work at home. This demonstrates how women's labour is manipulated to serve economic needs.
Marxists argue that the family doesn't just exploit members economically but also serves to maintain capitalism through ideological control:
The family teaches children to accept hierarchy, authority and inequality as natural:
Children learn to:
Louis Althusser described the family as an "ideological state apparatus" that spreads ruling class ideas. Families teach children to:
The family plays a crucial role in reproducing class inequality through inheritance. In the UK, inheritance tax thresholds allow wealthy families to pass significant assets to their children, maintaining class divisions across generations.
Research by the Resolution Foundation found that millennials are on track to have half the wealth of the previous generation at the same age. Meanwhile, they estimate that inheritances will double over the next 20 years, with the wealthiest families passing down the most. This shows how the family serves as a mechanism for reproducing class inequality rather than promoting social mobility.
Contemporary Marxist thinkers have developed more nuanced views on the family, recognising both its exploitative nature and its potential for resistance:
Modern Marxists acknowledge that family structures have diversified beyond the traditional nuclear family. However, they argue that capitalism adapts to incorporate these changes:
While Marxist perspectives offer valuable insights, they have limitations:
The Marxist perspective on the family as a site of exploitation remains relevant in contemporary society. It helps us understand:
By understanding these critiques, we can question taken-for-granted assumptions about family life and consider how family structures might be reorganised to reduce exploitation and promote genuine wellbeing for all members.
When discussing Marxist views in your exam:
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