Final answer:
Friedrich Engels claimed that the family structure reinforces social inequality through gender roles where women are economically dependent on men, similar to the proletariat's dependence on the bourgeoisie in capitalist societies. He believed that the emancipation of women could challenge this inequality, though economic contributions.
Step-by-step explanation:
Friedrich Engels, a German sociologist and colleague of Karl Marx, analyzed the dynamics of class struggle and social inequality. He claimed that the traditional family structure and gender roles within society contributed to social inequality.
Engels theorized that women were akin to the proletariat within the family unit due to their economic dependence on men. He drew parallels between this dynamic and the broader capitalistic societal structure where the bourgeoisie exploited the proletariat.
In Engels' view, the owner-worker relationship that determined the economic standing in society was mirrored within the household, with men as owners or bourgeoisie, possessing economic power, and women as workers or proletariat, who were economically dependent.
It was highlighted that women who earned wages could potentially gain power within the family structure, challenging the inequality at home. However, despite their economic contributions, women often continued to bear the majority of the domestic responsibilities.
Engels, alongside Marx, believed that capitalist systems were intrinsically tied to social stratification and conflict. They foresaw a revolution whereby the have-nots would rise against the haves, leading to a society without class divisions wherein all property would be held in common, an ideology known as Marxism.
This conflict between classes, as Engels and Marx proposed, was a driving force for societal change. Max Weber, another sociologist, further developed conflict theory by acknowledging that other forms of inequality, such as political power, education, race, and gender, also contribute to societal conflicts.