Structural functionalism. A theoretical orientation that views society as a system of interdependent parts whose functions contribute to the stability and survival of the system.
Feminist
Advocating social, political, legal, and economic rights for women equal to those of men.
Marxism family theory
Marxism is a theory which sees all society’s institutions as helping to maintain class inequality and capitalism
The view that the family upholds capitalism and its values. Marxists See society in terms of the base-superstructure model. As the base the economy shapes everything else, and the family is no exception and it is seen as reflecting the needs of the capitalist economy.
The main view point on the family comes from Friedrich Engels where he set out his view points in 1884 in his book "The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State"
Engels believed that during the early stages of human evolution, property was collectively owned and that the family did not exist. The community itself formed the family and there was no limitation to sexual access. However, with the emergence of private ownership of property and the idea of having heirs who were to inherit the property
The nuclear family ensures that generation after generation remain embroiled in capitalism. The nuclear family is an ideal way to condition the family into capitalism, which reproduces the ideologies of capitalism
The family’s job is to reproduce the Labour power that serves capitalism. Women and children become a reserve army of Labour. The fact that capitalists can draw upon their Labour power, and that workers need to look after their families, means that there is an ever plentiful supply of cheap Labour and helps keep wages a bit lower
Eli Zaretsky had also adopted a Marxist approach to family life. He argued that with industrialisation, the home and the workplace have become distinct spheres.