Emily Callaci, a History Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, delves into the fascinating origins of the Wages for Housework movement. She highlights five key women, including Selma James and Silvia Federici, who championed recognition for unpaid domestic labor. The discussion covers the movement's resurgence in contemporary feminism, especially during the pandemic, and critiques mainstream narratives. Callaci also explores the intersections of race, class, and caregiving in activism, revealing the timeless struggles women face within economic systems.
The podcast emphasizes the need to recognize unpaid care work as essential to societal functioning, challenging individualistic solutions to work-life balance.
Emily Callaci highlights the historical significance of the Wages for Housework movement in advocating for women's rights and drawing connections to broader struggles against capitalism.
Internal tensions within the Wages for Housework movement are explored, revealing the necessity for inclusive discussions addressing the diverse experiences of women in labor activism.
Deep dives
Personal Reflections on Care Work
The discussion begins with a personal account of navigating the complexities of care work as a new parent. The speaker expresses dissatisfaction with the prevalent advice aimed at achieving work-life balance, highlighting the inadequacy of individual-centric solutions that often ignore systemic issues. This perspective emphasizes the need for a broader societal discussion about how care work is organized and the political implications surrounding it. The speaker calls for a rethinking of societal structures, proposing a need to have bigger conversations about how we live and work collectively.
History of the Wages for Housework Movement
The conversation shifts to the history and significance of the Wages for Housework movement, which sought to earn recognition and payment for women's unpaid domestic labor. The movement is contextualized within feminist activism, connecting various key figures such as Selma James and Silvia Federici, who played instrumental roles in advocating for women's rights. The speaker elaborates on the movement's roots, emphasizing its political agenda that aligns care work with broader struggles against capitalism. This framing positions room for examining the legacies of these activists and how they continue to influence contemporary social justice discussions.
Key Figures and Their Contributions
Throughout the episode, five influential women central to the Wages for Housework movement are highlighted: Selma James, Maria Rosa Dalla Costa, Sylvia Federici, Wilmette Brown, and Margaret Prescott. Each contributed unique perspectives shaped by their political upbringing and experiences, which enriched the movement's discourse on unwaged labor. Selma James, for instance, viewed women's unpaid work within the framework of class struggle, emphasizing the need to see these issues as interconnected. The ongoing examination of each figure's background reveals how their diverse experiences shaped the perspectives brought into the movement and influenced its direction.
Tensions within the Movement
The podcast delves into internal tensions within the Wages for Housework movement, particularly regarding the roles of race, class, and identity. Conversations encapsulate the conflict between established feminist ideologies and the needs of marginalized women, shedding light on how these dynamics shaped the movement. Wilmette Brown's experience as a black lesbian further illustrates this struggle, as she navigated the complexities of race and gender within different activist spaces. This exploration highlights the necessity for inclusive dialogues that address the diverse experiences of women in the context of labor and activism.
Legacy and Relevance Today
The discussion concludes by reflecting on the enduring relevance of the Wages for Housework movement in today's sociopolitical landscape, especially in light of recent global events. The speaker emphasizes the importance of recognizing unpaid care work as crucial to societal functioning, drawing parallels to contemporary struggles against austerity and neoliberal policies. The continued advocacy for equitable treatment of all forms of labor, including domestic work, underscores the necessity for systemic change. This legacy provides a framework for current activists to understand the intersections of gender, race, and class in their ongoing struggles for social justice.
Emily Callaci unpacks the history and legacy of Wages for Housework, the feminist movement that demanded payment for the unpaid work of women required to sustain capitalism. She discusses five women at the centre of this movement: Selma James, Mariarosa Dalla Costa, Silvia Federici, Wilmette Brown, and Margaret Prescod.
Emily Callaci is a historian and writer, currently Professor of History at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is the author of Street Archives and City Life and Wages for Housework: The Story of a Movement, an Idea, a Promise.
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Soundtrack by Mark Pilkington
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