Marxist feminism refers to a set of theoretical frameworks borne out of the intersection of Marxism and Feminism. The two are individual sociological ideologies that examine systematic inequalities responsible for the oppression of marginalized individuals. Marxism deals with inequality and exploitation of workers in a capitalistic society due to the class divide, whereas feminism addresses the inequality of sexes. The feminist movement aims to achieve equal rights and opportunity for all sexes, liberating women from the shackles of a patriarchal society. Hence, it is from this intersectionality that the ideology of Marxist Feminism emerges.
At its core, it argues that both patriarchy and capitalism exploit working-class women. In a patriarchal society, because of the gendered division of labour, women tend to shoulder the bulk of domestic work in the household. Adding to the fact that many of them have jobs, this significantly doubles their burden. According to Marxist Feminists, women can only be liberated through the dismantlement of the capitalist system, under which much of a woman’s labour, known as ‘reproductive labour,’ was uncompensated. Reproductive labour comprises unremunerated activities that reproduce the workforce — this includes biological activities like bearing children, nursing, and rearing them but also daily activities such as cooking, washing clothes, and even caring for grandparents. The role of women within the production process is thus linked to the reproduction of the workforce at a daily and generational level. Hence, it is also considered ‘socially reproductive labour.’
Capitalism, thus, needs both productive and socially reproductive labour — the daily and generational reproduction of workers — to ensure its regeneration. In a capitalistic system, workers receive wages and capitalists take the profit from their work. However, women’s labour, largely responsible for the reproduction of daily and generational life, receive no recognition, in wages or in social value. Marxist Feminists argue the exclusion of women’s labour from ‘productive labour’ as the source of women’s oppression.
In the early 20th century, socialist feminists contested for a state-paid social wage to bridge the divide between paid productive work and unpaid reproductive labour. The social wage was to give material value to reproductive labour. In modern times, efforts to expand the social wage, through paid parental leave and government-provided childcare, among other collective support for reproductive work, are long-term components of socialist feminism (Fraser, 2013).
Today, in the 21st century, women have long been absorbed into the workforce and form a major portion of it. However, inequality persists because feminised, unpaid reproductive labour hasn’t dissolved, creating a ‘double pay’ situation wherein women perform paid labour and end up doing most of the unpaid domestic care duties as well. Moreover, inherited gender roles have shaped a pattern of sex-based segregation at the occupational level, causing women to often be paid less than men. This creates a gender pay gap that modern feminists address.
Thus, we can see that despite changing times, there exists a complicated relation of women to class and work, which Marxist Feminism theoretically debates, further raising questions surrounding women’s oppression, male domination, and other sociological perspectives.