Economics Quote by Anonymous
““Wages Against Housework,” a pamphlet central to a feminist campaign in the 1970s condemning the unpaid labor of housework and caregiving. The theoretical import of the 1970s campaign was huge at its time – “Wages Against Housework” challenged certain historical materialisms that relegated power and social reproduction to a superstructural level altogether separate from the material base of production. Extending the “social factory” approach to value production, this materialist feminism demonstrated why the cultural, corporeal, and subjective dimensions of social reproduction are just as fundamental to the material structure of capitalism as economics.””
About This Quote
Source Pamphlet: Wages Against Housework, 1975, feminist movement
The pamphlet argues that unpaid domestic labor is essential to capitalism and should be recognized as productive work.
In simple terms: Housework is productive labor that’s ignored.
Key Takeaway
Recognize and value unpaid caregiving.
Themes
feminism
labor
capitalism
social reproduction
materialism
Mood
critical
reflective
Type
theoretical
political
When to use this quote
- activism
- policy advocacy
- academic research
- union organizing
Key Concepts
social reproduction
materialist feminism
value theory
Questions to Reflect On
- How can societies fairly compensate unpaid care work?
- What policies could integrate domestic labor into economic metrics?
A Different Perspective
It may overlook differences in class and cultural contexts of domestic work.
![“[D]emanding wages for housework (…) forced recognition of the fact that the domestic work which women do has economic value. But many feminists feel that this demand leaves untouched the sexual division of labour - indeed, measures like paid maternity leave (…) can be seen as a form of’wages for…” quote by Nivedita Menon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/e1e/nivedita-menon-63731_feminism_d-emanding-wages-for-housework-forced-re_1136879.jpg)
![“Leo Crowley, Harry [Truman]'s Foreign Economic Administrator, tells Congressmen the theory...: 'If you create good governments in foreign countries, automatically you will have better markets for ourselves.' With that honeycunt staring you in the face, you'd forget your grammar too.” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/df0/anonymous-1_administrators_leo-crowley-harry-truman-s-foreign-econo_46095.jpg)
