Sara Cantillon et al., "Feminist Political Economy: A Global Perspective" (Agenda, 2023)
Dec 16, 2024
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In this enlightening discussion, guests Odile Mackett, a senior researcher from South Africa focused on labor economics, and Sara Stevano, a senior lecturer specializing in feminist political economy, explore the transformative power of feminist perspectives in political economy. They challenge conventional narratives around labor, inequality, and social reproduction, emphasizing the critical role of care beyond household boundaries. The conversation highlights the importance of feminist scholarship in shaping policy and addressing modern economic challenges, making a compelling case for its inclusion in economic analysis.
Feminist political economy reveals the intricacies of household inequalities by focusing on individuals rather than viewing households as monolithic units.
The importance of social reproduction and care in sustaining societal structures highlights the need for feminist approaches in economic policy and analysis.
Deep dives
Understanding Within Household Inequalities
A focus on within household inequalities reveals complexities that often go unnoticed in traditional economic analysis. This perspective shifts the unit of analysis from households as a whole to the individuals within them, highlighting the hidden dynamics of gender and age that can perpetuate inequalities. Feminist scholars have challenged the oversimplified view that households operate solely on altruism and rational divisions of labor, instead arguing that households are fragmented and influenced by external socioeconomic contexts. This shift in approach has led to more comprehensive data collection methods in household surveys, allowing for a better understanding of how resources and opportunities are distributed among different household members.
The Significance of Social Reproduction and Care
The concepts of social reproduction and care are central to feminist political economy, emphasizing the fundamental role these elements play in sustaining life and societal structure. Social reproduction, rooted in Marxist feminist theory, encompasses a wide range of activities necessary for maintaining societies, while care focuses more specifically on the relationships between caregivers and those receiving care. By separating these concepts into distinct chapters, the authors illuminate their similarities and differences, particularly in their applications to policy and political change. Understanding these distinctions enriches feminist scholarship and aids in tackling contemporary societal inequalities, especially as the relevance of these concepts has surged in recent discussions around economic systems.
Global Perspectives on Economics and Development
Feminist perspectives enhance the analysis of welfare regimes, poverty, and economic measurements like GDP, emphasizing the need for intersectional approaches to understand these complex issues. By integrating diverse methodological frameworks, feminist scholars challenge traditional views that often overlook existing social hierarchies within economies. This approach not only sheds light on the contributions of households and families as economic units but also advocates for the inclusion of marginalized voices in economic discussions. The book encourages readers to rethink conventional economic paradigms, fostering a more inclusive understanding of global development obstacles and potential solutions.
Challenging mainstream narratives in political economy, the new book Feminist Political Economy: A Global Perspective(Agenda Publishing, 2023) serves as an introduction to a new era of critical research. It is written by Prof. Sara Cantillon, Dr. Sara Stevano and Prof. Odile Mackett, who have carried out incredible work to deconstruct gender-blind approaches in contemporary economic research. The book brings together the most important topics in political economy and demonstrates why feminist approaches are crucial to understanding social relations. It begins with an overview of feminist political economy and then offers a nuanced perspective on care, social reproduction, inequalities in households and labour markets, and the feminisation of poverty. As mentioned in the podcast, the book not only takes a feminist approach to theory, but is also an example of the practice of feminist research, focusing for example on female scholars.
The host, Sarah Vogelsanger, is a feminist researcher, who is interested in social justice, critical migration studies and political ecology.
