Blackwell Reference Online

Extract

A materialist feminist research program is one that places special emphasis on the material conditions underlying gender inequality. Scholars within this tradition may vary in their definition of the line of demarcation and conceptual relationships between material and ideological spheres, but most would agree that the organization of production is central to material reality. Although all feminist scholars acknowledge the importance of women's economic status, materialist feminist approaches are distinguished by the centrality and causal precedence ascribed to material forces over ideational ones in explaining women's oppression. One consequence of this theoretical orientation is an emphasis on social class. The use of “women” and “men” as unified analytic categories is avoided, since individuals from different class backgrounds have differential access to power, autonomy, and other social resources. The specific mechanisms of gender oppression depend on women's class position, as do the conditions of their emancipation. Overlaps between the interests of some women and some oppressed men are acknowledged, resulting in political stances supportive of strategic alliances with some categories of men. This brand of feminism is the outcome of engagements with the Marxist tradition. On one hand, it uses insights from feminist theory to challenge the gender-blind aspects of Marxist analysis. ... log in or subscribe to read full text