Karl Marx 's The Feminist Standpoint Essay

Until the 1960s, feminism was widely regarded as a sub-set of liberalism and socialism, rather than as an ideology in its own right. Today, however, feminism can be considered a single doctrine in that all feminists subscribe to a range of ‘common ground’ beliefs, such as the existence of a patriarchal society, and the desire to change gender inequalities. Then again, it can be argued that feminism is characterised more by disagreement than consensus, as three broad traditions: liberal feminism, Marxist or socialist feminism, and radical feminism, which often contain rival tendencies, are encompassed within each core feminist theme. This essay will argue that, despite tensions between its

The intentions of ‘Feminism’ are still often misinterpreted even today in the twenty-first century despite this being a modern era. Marilyn Frye’s discussion on the role of women in society in the text “The Politics of Reality” focuses on her definition of ‘oppression’, its criteria and how it applies to feminist theory. Frye immediately opens her discussion with this statement; “it is a fundamental claim of feminism that women are oppressed”, (1983, p:1). It is important to note that she has used the word “claim” as it implies that the oppression of women is still a matter of debate. As a disclaimer, she makes it clear that the purpose of this text is not to prove that women are in fact oppressed, but to gain clarity on the meaning of the term

In this essay I will explore the different schools of feminism such as Marxist, liberal and radical feminism, who share the view that women are oppressed in a patriarchal society but differ in opinion on who benefits from the inequalities. Each school of feminism has their own understanding of family roles and relationships which I will assess through this essay.

The economy over many centuries have changed and developed in a variety of ways. One of the most influential economic systems that had developed between the 1700’s and the 1900s is capitalism. Capitalism is an economic system that is controlled by individuals, rather than the government, and requires the working class to use all its resources in order for the capitalist class to retain a profit. One question that still remains is this; how do women’s rights compare to capitalism? There are many theoretical concepts that have helped shape capitalism throughout history. Women’s rights are the rights given to women to express equality when being compared to a man. In the year that capitalism was developed, patriarchy played a dominant role regarding home life and the workplace, which motivated women to take action. Women’s rights are significant in the development of capitalism because it protested the male dominant atmosphere to create opportunity for women to take part as working class and to obtain equal status with a man in regards to everyday living. This resulting in a dramatic change in our economic system. Gender inequalities during the 18th and 20th centuries had a mass contribution to how capitalism developed.

In choosing for this research project I have decided to challenge the ethical problem of the shortcomings of feminism. There has been much debate over feminism, the questioning of its purpose, its design, its inclusiveness, it is stance on other matters that connect to it. In a quest in finding the shortcomings, and bringing them to light. Using other essays as sources I plan to make this bibliography a journey into the scope not just feminism, but the history of feminism, intersectional feminism, the wage gap, and what defines a feminist. We will take into account of all aspects of feminism and how authors of some essays included have offered their

The women’s rights movement was a huge turning point for women because they had succeeded in the altering of their status as a group and changing their lives of countless men and women. Gender, Ideology, and Historical Change: Explaining the Women’s Movement was a great chapter because it explained and analyzed the change and causes of the women’s movement. Elaine Tyler May’s essay, Cold War Ideology and the Rise of Feminism and Women’s Liberation and Sixties Radicalism by Alice Echols both gave important but different opinions and ideas about the women’s movement. Also, the primary sources reflect a number of economic, cultural, political, and demographic influences on the women’s movement. This chapter

Patriarchal domination causes the oppression of women worldwide. As time has gone on, there continuously seems to be arguments as to how men and women are different and therefore unfit to attain the same rights. The differences between the genders can be either biological or socially constructed. However, these views are important to feminists because they make all the difference in the way they articulate their arguments and fight for equality. In bell hook’s essay, “feminism: a transformational politic” she argues “the insistence on difference as the factor which becomes the occasion for separation and domination and suggest the differentiation of status between males and females globally is an indication that patriarchal domination of

This essay will compare the effectiveness of social division using Karl Marx’s theory of class division and the feminist theory of patriarchy. I will also link this to ethnicity in black feminism and evaluate how relevant these theories are to society today.

Women are more prone to live in low income circumstances than men, hence introducing the social problem of gender discrimination. Women have been discriminated in the workplace over time in that they are paid less than men in specific jobs and are not seen to be ‘suited’ to particular jobs, especially in the manufacturing and trade industries. Marxist feminist Margaret Benston believed that women were oppressed by capitalism in that they were treated almost as a back-up, or secondary option of cheap labour that enabled profits to be kept up. ‘In 1994, 6.41 million women were in low-paid jobs and on average women’s full-time gross weekly pay was 72 percent of that of men’(Kane, 2003:115).

Considering that as of 2010, 45.4% of the Australian labour force comprised of women it would seem that Marx’s socialist perspective is less so equal or relevant in contemporary society.

In this paper, I will explain how the article “The Lady and the Tramp (II): Feminist Welfare Politics, Poor Single Mothers, and the Challenge of Welfare Justice” by Gwendolyn Mink relates to the thematic focus of working women and the Marxist and socialist branch of feminism. In Feminist Thought: A More Comprehensive Introduction, Rosemarie Tong explains that Marxist and socialist feminists understand women’s oppression as a labor issue. Women’s work is not viewed as a productive contribution to society. One of the ways Marxist and socialist feminists sought to improve women’s oppression was through the wages-for-housework campaign of the 1970s, which fought for work done in the domestic sphere to be paid and respected by society. In this same vein, Mink’s article can be viewed as a continuation of sorts of the wages-for-housework campaign. Mink suggests that poor single mothers have the right for their work to be recognized by society and supported economically like the Marxist and socialist feminist in the 1970s.

Marxist feminism is a sub-category of the larger feminist theory; this kind of feminism is primarily attentive to explaining how women are oppressed through capitalist systems and the emergence of the concept of private property. According to Marxist feminists, women's true emancipation, all over the world, can only be achieved through a fundamental reorganization of the capitalist economy that does not fairly compensate women's labor. Additionally, Marxist feminists do criticize Marx for what they think was his partial analysis of sexism under capitalism and total indifference to gender imbalance. However, they do not dismiss the basic Marxist fundamentals.

According to women sociologist Martineau, feminist sociology has focused on power relationships and inequalities between men and women.How can the condition faced by women be addressed,(Little, 2014, p .31). Marx’s critique of capitalism and the feminist of patriarchy for example led to very interesting insights into how structures of power and inequality work, but from a point of view that sees only the most revolutionary transformation of society as a solution,(Little, 2014 , p. 32).

To understand how MacKinnon is able to apply Marxism to feminism, we will need to explore the ways in which she compares them. MacKinnon starts to build her theory about women’s subservience to men by creating a parallel pairing of key components of Marxist theory with those of their feminist equivalents. The following is a brief rundown of some of her parallels, and and is in no way exhaustive or comprehensive. The Marxist conception of work is associated with sex.

     In the aftermath of World War II, the lives of the women have changed dramatically. Women spoke their minds out and wanted to be heard. World War II brought them a new outlook on how they should live their lives. It encouraged women organize social movements such as boycotts and public marches pushing for their human rights and protect them against discrimination. Alongside, they formed their own organization representing them against the federal government like the NOW or National Organization for Women. Through the years, women have been struggling to fight for equal rights and unfortunately still exist even at the present in some areas. Yes, women’s status was not like what they used to back then, where their