...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...
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...Using Material from Item 2b and Elsewhere, Assess the Marxist View That the Main Role of the Family Is to Serve the Interests of Capitalism Marxism is a structural conflict theory, they argue that the main role of the family is to serve the interest of capitalism, but is that how modern sociologist view the family? Each group in society has a different idea on what the main role of the family is. As Item 2B says, “Marxists see all social intuitions as serving the interests of capitalism.” This includes the family, and they say that it serves the interests of capitalism by maintaining and justifying class inequality and exploitation by the Bourgeoisie. Other groups, however, have different opinions, such as Functionalists who think that the family performs essential needs of society. Marxists and Functionalists opinions are completely contrasted, as Marxists think that we live in a Capitalist society based on unequal conflict between the classes, whilst Functionalists see society as based on “value consensus”, where everyone agrees. Much like Functionalist, Marxists over emphasise on the traditional nuclear family being the best. The family is an important audience for the sale of consumer goods because advertisers encourage families to be in competition with each other in an old fashion ‘keeping up with the Joneses’ type of way and to keep feeding into the latest trends. The Bourgeoisie don’t just exploit the proletariats they also target children with their bright and...
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...Item 2B Marxists see all social institutions as serving the interests of capitalism. They argue that institutions such as the family help maintain the system of class inequality and exploitation. One way in which the family does this is by socialising children into accepting hierarchy. The family is also an important market for consumer goods. Alternatively the functionalists argue that the family performs vital functions for society. For example, it benefits family members by offering mutual support and emotional satisfaction. Using the material from Item 2B and elsewhere assess the Marxist view that the main role of the family is to serve the interests of capitalism. (24 Marks) Each group in society has a different idea on what the main role of the family is. Marxists do not believe that society is based on value consensus, and rejects the view that it operates for the benefit of all. Instead, they see a basic conflict of interest between a small powerful ruling class and the mass of the population, the subject class. They therefore believe that the family is one of a number of institutions which serves to maintain the position of the ruling class. Similarly to Item 2B, “they argue that institutions such as the family help maintain the system of class inequality and exploitation”. For example, both Functionalists and Marxists see the family as a unit which reproduces and socialises children. However, Marxists also see the family as a means for reproducing ‘labour power’...
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...2B and 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...
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...Using material from item 2b and elsewhere assess the Marxist view that the main role of the family is to serve the interests of capitalism. Marxism is a conflict theory which sees all society’s institutions, such as the education system, the media, religion and the state, as helping to main class inequality and capitalism. For Marxists, therefore, the functions of the family are performed solely 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 the individual members of the family. First of all one reason in which the family does serve capitalism, is through the origin of the family. Engels argued that the need for the family arose when society started to value private property. With the rise of private property an organised system of inheritance became necessary. This serves capitalism, because if land and fortunes are inherited, inequality will be reproduced, in that middle class families can pass on more property to their family. Whilst the working class have little if anything to pass down to their family. This goes against everything to do with communism as they believe that property and earning should be shared. Therefore, this shows that the family serves capitalism. Engels also argued that monogamy arose. This was so that the farther knew who their offspring was, so that they could pass their property down to them. This...
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...Using material from item 2b and elsewhere assess the Marxist view that the main role of the family is to serve the interests of capitalism. Marxism is a conflict theory which sees all society’s institutions, such as the education system, the media, religion and the state, as helping to main class inequality and capitalism. For Marxists, therefore, the functions of the family are performed solely 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 the individual members of the family. First of all one reason in which the family does serve capitalism, is through the origin of the family. Engels argued that the need for the family arose when society started to value private property. With the rise of private property an organised system of inheritance became necessary. This serves capitalism, because if land and fortunes are inherited, inequality will be reproduced, in that middle class families can pass on more property to their family. Whilst the working class have little if anything to pass down to their family. This goes against everything to do with communism as they believe that property and earning should be shared. Therefore, this shows that the family serves capitalism. Engels also argued that monogamy arose. This was so that the farther knew who their offspring was, so that they could pass their property down to them....
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...Assess the relationship between sociology and social policy In order to understand the role of sociology in relation to social policy, it is important to firstly distinguish between social problems and sociological problems. According to Peter Worsley, a social problem is some piece of social behaviour that causes public friction and private misery and calls for collective action to solve it. According to Worsley, a sociological problem is “any pattern of relationships that calls for explanation.” In other words, it is any piece of behaviour that we wish to make sense of. However even when sociologists conduct research into social problems, there’s no guarantee that policy makers will study their findings, or that any solutions they propose will find their way into social policies. Many factors may affect whether or not sociological research succeeds in influencing policy. Some of these include electoral popularity, interest groups, globalisation and cost. Different sociological perspectives hold different views of the nature of the state and their social policy it produces. As a result, each perspective tends to take a different view of the role of sociology in relation to social policy. Early positivists such as Comte and Durkheim took the view that sociology was a science and would discover both the cause of social problems and scientifically based solutions to them. As such, their approach was part of the Enlightenment project to use science ad reason to improve society...
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...assess the Marxist view that the main role of the family is to serve the interests of capitalism for: Engels argued that Because capitalism is based on accumulation of property and wealth that capitalism reated the nuclear family and monogamy in marriage The reason or this is so the family can serve capitalism the nuclear family provided the answer for the capitalist man to pass down his wealth to his legimate heirs and thus wealth was not shared with the lower classes so the bourgeoisie had workers to work for their business and in their factory’s so they could sell and buy items and goods serving capitalism.the wealth stayed in the bloodline so the family could continue to benefit from capitalism Zaretsky argued that the family helps capitalism as t acts as a net for the man in the house sot he stresses and strains of work do not make him revolt thus keeping capitalism working as they have workers. Commidities are bought by workers and this keeps a demand of products so capitalism can work Althusser argues that working class must submit to ruling class this is done by family Persuading people of natural unchangeable and unfair things in the capitalist system Item 2 b also talk about how institutions indoctrinate people into believing the benefits of capitalist society and the class system and believing hierarchy just like aalthusser Against Parsons believes nuclear family is now here to the meet needs of industry and society 4 functions sexual reproductive educational...
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...Outline and assess Marxist perspectives on crime and deviance [50 marks] The term defiance covers a wide range of behaviour which deviates from the normal expectations of society and is viewed as ‘wrong’ and ‘bad’ but does not necessarily break the law however, some deviant acts may also be criminal. Crime is any activity that breaks the law of the land and is consequently subject to official punishment. Marx himself wrote very little about crime, but a Marxist theory of crime was first developed by Bonger as early as 1916 and then developed by writers such as Chambliss (1975). The overall background to the Marxist approach to crime was based on the Marxist analysis of society, which argues that society is best understood by examining the process by which the majority of the population are exploited by the owners and controllers of commerce and industry. The traditional Marxist approach to crime and deviance argues that the fundamental fact of exploitation provides the key to unlock the explanations for the workings of society. The beginning of the Marxist analysis is that all laws are essentially for the benefit of the bourgeoisie, and that criminal law reflects their interests. For example, property ownership laws largely concern those with significant amounts of property i.e. the ruling class. For those who are poor, there is little to steal. Personal violence is a dangerous act and the ruling class wants to control the right to use violence within society through their...
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...Families and Households past Questions Short Questions Explain what is meant by primary socialisation ( 2 marks) Explain what is meant by the expressive role( 2 Marks) Explain what is meant by serial monogamy(2 Marks) Explain what is meant by net migration(2 marks) Suggest two ways in which family life could have a harmful effect upon women(4 Marks) Explain the difference between a family and a household(4 Marks) Suggest two reasons why lone parent families are likely to be head by a female(4 Marks) Suggest two reasons why there has been an increase in one person households(4 Marks) Explain the difference between the birth rate and the fertility rate(4 marks) Suggest two reasons why women might delay having children(4 Marks) Suggest two ways in which the position of children could be said to have improved over the last 100 years(4 Marks) Suggest two reasons why there has been an increase in cohabitation(4 Marks) Suggest two reasons why someone might migrate to the united kingdom apart from employment.(4 Marks) Explain what is meant by the social construction of childhood(2 marks) Suggest two ways in which government policies may shape the experiences of childhood today(4 Marks) Suggest three reasons for the decrease in the death rate since 1900(6 Marks) Identify three ways in which childhood may not be a positive experience for some children(6 Marks) Identify three ways in which greater ethnic diversity has contributed to...
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...Functionalists and Marxists have opposing views on the function of education which I will discuss in my essay, I will refer to sources from Durkheim, Parsons, Davis & Moore, Althusser and Bowles & Gintis and Willis and assess the function of education. Emile Durkheim, a functionalist’s view of education is that it teaches us the norms and value of society. Education helps to unite all the individuals of society which creates a sense of belonging and commitment to that society which he calls social solidarity. The way to reach this stage of harmony in society is to have norms and values which everyone agrees on. A way to criticise this idea is that the UK has become a multi-cultural society in which different people from different parts of the world live together. This means that we all have norms and values from our cultures which might lead to a conflict rather than value consensus as our values will go against each other. Another function of education in the case of Durkheim is that the school is a miniature version of school in which we are taught things in that prepare us for the future when we are in employment. Aspects such as ‘register’ throughout our school life teach us that punctuality is very vital. This helps in the future as we understand that it is important to be on time. Marxists such as Bowles and Gintis would argue against his idea of rules being good and would argue that they teach us to be subservient to the capitalist society. Bowles and Gintis, Marxists, argue that...
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...Using material from item A and elsewhere, assess the view that the education system exists mainly to select and prepare young people for their future work roles. Across the UK, it is now compulsory for everyone under the age of 18 to be in full time education. This, according to the government, allows enough time for students to become fully socialised and ready to go out in to the work place and keep young people off the streets. However, there are many arguments that claim the education system does not do what it is meant to do. The education system was originally introduced to ensure that everyone could be properly socialised, as family can only equip children with the basic skills. So the education system is there to continue the process of socialising children and allocate them for the necessary work roles. Marxists, however, would strongly disagree with that statement. They believe that the education system was created by the middle class for the middle class, and therefore it only benefits middle class students. Louis Althusser (1971) argues that education is only there to maintain each generation by transmitting the ruling class views in to the working class students, and disguising them as common values. This causes the conditions needed for capitalism to flourish without having to use force. Marxist believes that there are two main functions of the education system. They argue that education reproduces the inequalities and social relations of a capitalist...
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...AQA Unit 1 Families & Households specimen | (a) Explain what is meant by .primary socialisation. (Item 2A, line 7). (2 marks)(b) Suggest two ways in which childhood has become .a specially protected and privileged time of life. (Item 2A, lines 4 . 5). (4 marks) (c) Suggest three reasons for the increase in the divorce rate since 1969. (6 marks) | (d) Examine the ways in which social policies and laws may influence families and households. (24 marks) | (e) Using material from Item 2B and elsewhere, assess the view that it no longer makes sense to talk about the .patriarchal family. (Item 2B, lines 1 . 2). (24 marks) | Jan 09 | (a) Explain what is meant by the ‘expressive role’ (Item 2A, line 5). (2 marks)(b) Suggest two ways in which ‘family life may have a harmful effect on women’(Item 2A, lines 6 – 7). (4 marks)(c) Suggest three reasons for the decrease in the death rate since 1900. (6 marks) | (d) Examine the ways in which childhood can be said to be socially constructed. (24 marks) | (e) Using material from Item 2B and elsewhere, assess the view that the nuclear family is no longer the norm. (24 marks) | Jun 09 | 0 6 Explain the difference between a family and a household (Item 2A). (4 marks)0 7 Suggest two reasons why lone-parent families are more likely to be headed by a female. (4 marks)0 8 Suggest two reasons why there has been an increase in one-person households(Item 2A, line 3). (4 marks) | 0 9 Examine the reasons for changes in birth rates and family size since...
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...different ways. Parsons describes the division of labour in the traditional nuclear family in terms of an expressive role and an instrumental role. However, this traditional arrangement may have changed as families have changed, and many feminists use the term ‘dual burden’ to describe the woman’s role in the family today. Item 2B Government policies and laws include tax and benefit policies as well as legislation such as relating to divorce and marriage. Sociologists have different views on the impact of these policies and laws on families. For example, feminists argue that social policies assume that the ideal family is a patriarchal nuclear family, and that government policies and laws therefore favour this sort of family. On the other hand, the New Right argue that the benefit system undermines traditional nuclear families by actively encouraging lone parents. 0 6 Explain what is meant by the ‘dual burden’ (Item 2A). (2 marks) 0 7 Explain the difference between the expressive role and the instrumental role (Item 2A). (4 marks) 0 8 Suggest three ways in which the differences between children and adults are becoming less clear in society today. (6 marks) 0 9 Examine the reasons for, and the effects of, changes in family size over the past 100 years or so. (24 marks) 1 0 Using material from Item 2B and elsewhere, assess sociological views of the impact of government policies and laws on family life. Item 2A Over the past 40 years or so, there has been a decline in the...
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...Outline and assess the view that the role of the education system is to reproduce and transmit culture. This essay will outline and asses the view that the view that the role of the education system is to reproduce and transmit culture. According to Bourdieu, the major of the education system is cultural reproduction. This does involve society as a whole, as Durkheim argued, but, instead, the reproduction of the culture of the ‘dominant classes’. These groups have the power the power to ‘impose meanings and to impose them as legitimate’. They are able to define there own culture as ‘worthy of being sought and possessed’, and to establish is as the basis for knowledge in the educational system. The high value placed on dominant culture in society as a whole simply stems from the ability of the powerful to impose their definition of reality in other. The possession of dominant culture is referred to as cultural capital by Bourdieu. This is because via the education it can be translated into wealth and power. Children of dominant classes acquire skills and knowledge from pre-school which puts them in an advantage because they have the key to understanding what is being transmitted in the classroom. Bourdieu claims that, since the education system presupposes the possession of cultural capital, which few students in fact possess, there is a great deal of inefficiency in teaching. This is because working students simply do not understand what their teachers are trying to...
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