Final answer:
Fredrick Engels proposed that patriarchy developed alongside the creation of private property and a class-based society, leading to gender inequalities and a patriarchal family structure.
Step-by-step explanation:
Fredrick Engels proposed that patriarchy developed in conjunction with the advent of private property and a class society. He analyzed the transition from pre-class societies where there was a shared communal ownership, often with maternal social systems, to a structured class society where men dominated as a result of controlling material wealth. According to Engels, this shift led to the institutionalization of gender inequalities and the establishment of a patriarchal family structure, akin to the emergence of an owner-worker relationship in the broader capitalist system.
In more contemporary discussions, this view is expanded upon by various conflict theorists who argue that although women participating in the labor force can gain some power within the family dynamics, they may still face the dual burden of wage earning and domestic responsibilities. Key to Engels' view is the idea that the oppression of women arose alongside the development of hierarchical social structures and private property, which afforded men economic and societal power over women.