Functionalism vs Marxism: Similarities and Differences

Last Updated on October 21, 2026 by Karl Thompson

Functionalism and Marxism are both structural theories: they look at how society as a whole shapes individuals, rather than starting with individuals’ own meanings. The big difference is that functionalism is a consensus theory, which sees society’s institutions working for everyone, while Marxism is a conflict theory, which sees them working for the ruling class.

Applied to education, functionalists have a very general analysis of the role of education in society, simply looking at how it contributes to the maintenance of social order, whereas Marxists analyse the role of education by focusing on how it performs different functions for different social classes.

As I see it, Marxists offer a ‘deeper layer’ of analysis compared to functionalists, although critics of Marxism may say they see class divisions where there are none.

Comparing the two comes up in the Education section of AQA Paper 1 (7192/1). The similarities came up as a 4-mark question in June 2023, covered below.

Differences Between Functionalist and Marxist Views of Education

Below is a basic comparison of functionalist and Marxist perspectives on the role of education in society:

Functionalism	Marxism
Education serves the needs of an industrial society by providing it with an advanced, specialised division of labour.	Education is part of the ideological state apparatus, and works for the bourgeoisie.
Education serves the needs of the social system by socialising new generations into shared norms and values, which provide harmony and stability.	Education teaches us the ‘myth of meritocracy’ – we believe we fail because it’s our own fault, and so we put up with inequality.
The formal and hidden curriculums help prepare children for service to society.	Correspondence theory – the hidden curriculum makes us accept authority without question.
Education provides the means for upward mobility for those prepared to work hard.	Education reproduces class inequality – middle-class kids are more likely to succeed and get good jobs.

Similarities Between Functionalist and Marxist Views of Education

Because the two theories are usually taught as opposites, students often find the similarities harder to spot. They are there, though, and they mostly come down to both theories looking at education from the top down, as one part of a wider social system:

Similarity	Functionalism	Marxism
Both are structural theories	Education is one institution in a social system, working with the family, the economy and so on.	Education is part of the superstructure, shaped by the capitalist economic base.
Both see education as an agency of secondary socialisation	It passes on shared norms and values, creating social solidarity (Durkheim).	It passes on ruling-class ideology (Althusser).
Both see education as selecting people for jobs	Role allocation: exams sift and sort the most talented into the most important jobs.	Education sorts pupils by class, reproducing class inequality.
Both see education as having an economic role	It teaches the specialist skills a complex division of labour needs.	It produces a workforce suited to capitalist employers (Bowles and Gintis).
Both see education as linked to inequality	Unequal outcomes are fair and necessary, because rewards follow merit.	Unequal outcomes are unfair, but schools teach pupils to accept them.

Notice that most of the similarities are about what education does. The differences are about who benefits: functionalists think everyone does, Marxists think the ruling class does.

Exam Question: Outline Two Similarities (4 marks)

This question appeared on the June 2023 AQA A-level sociology Paper 1 (7192/1): Education with Theory and Methods.

Outline two similarities between the functionalist and Marxist views of education. [4 marks]

Question reproduced from AQA A-level Sociology 7192/1, June 2023, for educational purposes. © AQA.

The Mark Scheme

How to Answer It

There are two marks for each similarity: one for identifying it and one for developing it, for example with what one or both theories say. There are no marks for evaluation, so don’t waste time criticising either theory. And make sure your points really are similarities – describing a difference, or only one theory, won’t score.

A Possible Answer

Similarity 1: Both functionalists and Marxists see education as an agency of secondary socialisation which passes on norms and values. For functionalists such as Durkheim, these are shared values that create social solidarity; for Marxists such as Althusser, they are ruling-class ideology.

Similarity 2: Both see education as sorting pupils into different jobs. Functionalists call this role allocation and see it as meritocratic, while Marxists argue that the same process reproduces class inequality from one generation to the next.

KT’s Commentary

Each point above earns its two marks in two sentences: the first names the similarity, the second develops it with what the theories actually say. That’s all a 4-marker needs.

AQA’s examiner report for 2023 found that most students managed at least one valid similarity, and the two most common were preparing students for the workplace and secondary socialisation – the safest pair to learn. The report also suggested that some students struggled because the two theories are usually taught as opposites, which is exactly why it’s worth learning the similarities table above.

Was Marx a Functionalist?

No. Karl Marx (1818–1883) was a conflict theorist, and functionalism as A-level sociology knows it was developed by Durkheim, whose main works came after Marx’s death, and later by Parsons. The confusion comes from the similarities above: both are structural theories that analyse what institutions do for society. But for Marx, what institutions do is serve the ruling class, which is the opposite of the functionalist view.

Signposting and Related Posts

This post has been written primarily for students studying the education topic, as part of the AQA’s A-level sociology course (Paper 1, 7192/1).

For the full detail on each perspective, see The Functionalist Perspective on Education and The Marxist Perspective on Education. You might also like this summary grid of sociological perspectives on education.

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