1. For de Beauvoir, woman is defined negatively; by what she is not. This makes her different from other “others” who are defined by what they are. Secondly, for de Beauvoir, woman’s othering is ahistorical. De Beauvoir does not believe that the othering of woman can be located in a particular historical event.
2. An example of commodity production would be the production of television sets. An example of sex-affective production would be cooking and feeding children. Women create a surplus in many ways, including the cooking and feeding of the household, doing the laundry and clothing the household, cleaning, etc. Because women are not paid for this labour, the capitalist does not need to invest this money in their workers, and thereby maximizes their profit (i.e. surplus value extracted).
3. Capitalism has broken the older feudal structures by making smaller families of workers desirable. This differs from what was previously advantageous in agricultural, feudal societies: having large families. The result is that women have increased access to contraceptives and abortion, the right not to marry, the right to divorce, etc. Capitalism has cooperated with feudal structures by subordinating women …show more content…
It seems to me that an analysis will reveal patriarchy to be an intrinsic feature of class society, regardless of the particular mode of production. I do not believe that patriarchy is simply a vestige of feudalism, nor is it something unique to capitalism. Where there is a class society, there is patriarchy. The logic then follows that in order to overthrow patriarchy, class society must be overthrown. I do not believe that liberation can be achieved simply by reforming capitalist society. It’s not enough to make changes in education, increase political representation, and make laws more egalitarian. Oppression of women will exist as long as there exists class
2. An example of commodity production would be the production of television sets. An example of sex-affective production would be cooking and feeding children. Women create a surplus in many ways, including the cooking and feeding of the household, doing the laundry and clothing the household, cleaning, etc. Because women are not paid for this labour, the capitalist does not need to invest this money in their workers, and thereby maximizes their profit (i.e. surplus value extracted).
3. Capitalism has broken the older feudal structures by making smaller families of workers desirable. This differs from what was previously advantageous in agricultural, feudal societies: having large families. The result is that women have increased access to contraceptives and abortion, the right not to marry, the right to divorce, etc. Capitalism has cooperated with feudal structures by subordinating women …show more content…
It seems to me that an analysis will reveal patriarchy to be an intrinsic feature of class society, regardless of the particular mode of production. I do not believe that patriarchy is simply a vestige of feudalism, nor is it something unique to capitalism. Where there is a class society, there is patriarchy. The logic then follows that in order to overthrow patriarchy, class society must be overthrown. I do not believe that liberation can be achieved simply by reforming capitalist society. It’s not enough to make changes in education, increase political representation, and make laws more egalitarian. Oppression of women will exist as long as there exists class