Conflict

And Family!
 Karl Marx

❑German (1818- 1883)

❑ Studied the influence of economy on the overall

structure of society

❑ Divided society between those who own the means

of production and those who own their labor

❑ History is a class struggle over resources to attain

human needs

P O R T A N T
! IM
The Conflict Perspective
Topics of interest:
-Decision making in a
Focuses on: forces in family
society that promote -- relationships among
competition and change racial groups
-- racial disputes
Main assumptions:
Influenced
-Conflict in society arises
by: Karl
over competition for scarce
Marx
resources
- social change is an
inevitable feature of society
Education Cycle

Unequal Access to
Resources
 Communist Theory
● History advances through conflict.
● Society is divided into classes.
⚪ Bourgeoisie: middle class
⚪ Proletariat: working class
● Against ruling class controlling production.
 Communist Theory

● Build a society in which the people owned

everything.
● Class conflict inevitable.
● Revolution needed to make ruling class give up
control.
 Communist Theory
● No private property.
● Wealth shared by all.
● Social classes would
vanish.
● There would be no need
for government.
 Marxist Class Struggle
The
Bourgeoisie Government
Petit
Bourgeoisie
Revolution Revolution
Revolution
Proletariat The people
Feudal Bourgeoisie The Government Classless
Lords own Own the means owns the Means
of Production society
Land of production
Agricultural
Industrial/ Communist
Industrial Electronic
Feudalism Cooperative
Capitalist Socialism
Can we understand Family through
Conflict?
Maybe… but how?

Family scientists adapted a macro-level theory,

often critiqued for being a grand theory – too big to
actually apply to real, scientific study and analysis –
and began applying it on a micro-level to the study
of
families.
What is the link
between Family
and Economy?
How did industrialization change
the institution of the family?
SOCIAL STRATIFICATION
is a concept used by
sociologists to describe UPPER
structured rankings of
groups of people. The
MIDDLE
members of each group
share a certain economic and
social position in society. LOWER
Most probably they share
the same values and norms
as well. Each group forms a
Conflict Perspective on Stratification

Stratification is the result of

struggle among individuals for
scarce rewards and resources.
 Mobility
Moving from one social class to another.

Individual Mobility can be vertical

Individual Mobility can be horizontal

Intergenerational mobility:
mobility between generations.
Intragenerational mobility:
Mobility within generations.
 Conflict theorists study families when they are
dysfunctional in 4 ways:

❑Family life diminishes women and

children
❑Family life permits violence
❑Families perpetuates social stratification
❑Families limit lifestyle choices
Pierre Bourdieu
 Power
Zero Sum Game
What is the connection between
capitalism and family?
https://www.marxists.org/