Culture, Power and Politics » Podcast Social Reproduction in Theory and Practice: Socialist Feminism and the Politics of Care
Jul 22, 2023
Helen Hester and Jo Littler delve into the concept of social reproduction, illuminating its significance in today's society and post-pandemic landscape. They critique the neoliberal focus on individualism, arguing for a holistic understanding of care work that values both paid and unpaid labor. The discussion covers the impact of privatization on social services and the role of technology in caregiving. They also address the evolving challenges of motherhood, advocate for family abolitionism, and propose a reevaluation of work through a socialist feminist lens.
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What Social Reproduction Means
- Social reproduction covers unpaid household and community work that sustains paid labour and wider society.
- Marxist feminist theory highlights how capitalism relies on unpaid domestic labour, often performed by women.
Expanding Social Reproduction Theory
- Recent scholarship reframes social reproduction to include migration, low-paid care work and queer abolitionist thought.
- This broadened view exposes exploitation beyond wage labour and connects gender to global capitalism.
Fight For Public Luxury And Redistribution
- Pursue large-scale redistribution and public services like universal childcare and a national care service.
- Build pluralist coalitions across unions, municipalities and community groups to win practical reforms.
