Exposing Patriarchal Capitalism: Reification, Gender Division of Labour, and Technology

Abstract

This paper delves into the interplay between patriarchy and capitalism. It argues in favour of conceptualising them as a unified system: patriarchal capitalism. Drawing on Marxist feminist scholarship, this research investigates and seeks to dismantle the ‘two spheres model’, which presents the public (productive) and the private (reproductive) spheres as independent of one another. This paper posits that such an ideological separation perpetuates women’s exploitation by reinforcing the segregation of the two spheres, serving patriarchal capitalism’s interests. One of the consequences of this reification is the naturalisation of gendered divisions of labour, grounded in gender-specific traits that reinforce the ideological association between women and unwaged domestic labour. This paper then contextualises debates from the 1970s-80s to today’s technologically mediated society, arguing that technology is reified and contributes to the reinforcement of naturalised gender roles. It considers the practical case of TradWives and Stay-at-home-girlfriends – TikTok influencers who romanticise the domestic sphere and misrepresent domestic labour through visually appealing videos. Finally, this paper offers reflections on the possibility of emancipation and de-reification from reified social relations. In conclusion, it argues for the necessity of critical reflections on both individual and societal dynamics within patriarchal capitalism, which should be conceptualised as a set of inseparable patriarchal capitalist relations of power.