Marxism sees religion as a feature which is only relevant in a society based on class division I.E the ruling classes and the working classes. They believe that with the beginning of true communism after the social revolution religion, in classless society will disappear. Marxists believe that religion and the institutions linked with it such as churches and the education system is controlled by the same ruling classes which control economic production. They argue that religion as a belief system distorts people’s perception of reality in such a way that benefits the ruling class. For
Sociology homework- Essay In this essay, I am going to be evaluating the Marxist claim that the family exists to support the continuation of the capitalist system. Marxism is a structural, social conflict theory. A social conflict theory is one that believes in a major conflict between two groups in society. The Marxist view, is that the ruling class (Bourgeoisie) exploit the working class (Proletariat) for profits. This is the opposite of functionalism, a structural consensus theory, which believes that society is based on agreement and it functions properly.
According to Potts & Short (1999) the core social arrangement within the institution of the family is the marital relationship. The right to engage in sexual activity is a defining characteristic of marriage in all cultures; at the same time, marriage limits sexuality, separating the couple from all other sexually active adults in the society. The aim of this investigation is to compare and contrast western culture with developing countries. Within this investigation, an analysis of cultural restrictions and oppressive regulation influence sexuality of the population. I also aim to touch on the subgroups of love and marriage in a variation of cultural constructs.
Marxist believe the conventional families are the foundations of capitalism it does this in many way; Private property inheritance, Marxists believe that all functions of the family are performed purely for the benefit of the capitalist system. One of the key factors determining how our society plays in to the hands of capitalism is was who inherits Private property. Engles, Marx friend and supporter, argues that a monogamous nuclear family has become essential in society as men had to be certain of the parentage of their offspring to guarantee that their legitimate heir inherit from them. In Engels eyes this made for a ‘historical defeat for the female sex’ suggesting that woman were now under men’s control and just mere of object to provide offspring to become a heir to the inheritance. Marxist altercate that woman will never receive liberation from patriarchal control with the means of capitalism and private ownership nearby.
As we can see in item 2B a feminist sociological thinker believes that ‘social policies assume the ideal family is the patriarchal nuclear family’ and this sort of family is favoured by government policies and laws. This means to say they believe the nuclear family setup keeps the man in power of the family; a heterosexual couple with children. This is shown in social policies such as custody rights: courts automatically give women the custody of children in divorce cases as they are seen as the ‘natural’ caregiver- which presumes that a woman’s role is an ‘expressive’ one and it is her duty to stay home care for the family. Furthermore Leonard argues that where social policies appear to support women they will also continue to reinforce the parochial family and are still a form of social control over women. For example a mother will get far more maternity leave than a father will paternity leave, again presuming it is the mother’s duty to remain home and care for the children.
Functionalists claim that society is a system with each part making-up the whole through a system of interdependence. The harmony and cooperation that is paramount to this view is maintained through value consensus. That is, for society to be successful, ordered and integrated, everyone must agree on what is important and good, achieved by teaching and promoting shared values which create a common identity (ibid). Murdock (1949) states that families perform four essential functions; regulating and stabilising sexual relationships; reproduction through procreation; economic provision and primary socialisation (ibid). Parsons (1955) argues that nuclear families in post-industrialised societies, are more ‘specialised’ and isolated, particularly as independent units of consumption, due to factors such as increased geographical mobility and the breakdown of the extended family.
The purpose of sex is to procreate; as that is what genitalia are designed for. The purpose of marriage is, traditionally, to bring two people together to raise a family The point is surely not that it is traditional, but that Aquinas argues that the sanctity of marriage is necessary for personal and social flourishing - the telos or goal is eudaimonia. Therefore, the act with the purpose of making children should
Another group is the Feminists who have different groups within them, some with very optimistic views, some with views that will agree with Marxists or some who will have their own ideologies and ways to demolish the generic nuclear family. This essay will explore the different functions performed by the family and see how that benefits individuals and society; whether that’s in a bad way or a good way. Functionalists believe that the family provides many functions for the individual and for society. Parsons and Murdock, two functionalists believe that the family is the primary agent of socialisation for an individual; the family is an important organ in the body of society. Murdock saw the family, the nuclear family in particular, an absolute need for society and he considered the four basic functions of the family to be the sexual, the reproductive, the socialisation and the economic.
Marxism is a structuarlist ideology which means that they paying attention to social institutions and structures over individuals, and it was Karl Marxs (1945) who came up with it. The belief that society is divided into the bourgeoisie, who own the "means of production", and the proletariat, who do the work, also known as upper class and working class. The bourgeoisie or capitalist class exploit the workers, and arrange society to keep the workers down. Most of the profit from the work that the working class do is kept by the bourgeoisie. Now, when we know the definitions, we can look at the Marxism view of education.
Functionalists believe that society is based on a set of shared norms and values, which society socialises its members. Murdock argues that the family is a universal institution that provides 4 essential functions to meet the needs of society. These are sexual, reproductive, economic and educational. He believes that these needs can only be achieved inside a nuclear family. However, other sociologists would argue that these needs can be achieved in other ways rather than just in a nuclear family.