Reply To: Diane Elson: The Value Theory of Labour
Hi J. Clarke,
Diane Elson has been very prolific in feminism and women’s emancipation,
A general thread in her work is the gender divisions of labour. Often the activities and labour participation of women is subalternative to men, and their economic participation.
In capital social totalities, society, and even some traditional older ones, women have been subjected to the male gaze, and their labour limited, even dismissed, even unpaid- like the value of ‘domestic labour’, it has been unrecognised.
I do not want to do a ‘mansplain’ (a man who explains a feminist issue). I am supportive: and men need to challenge and speak out too, or it may lead to collusion with male privilege; silence as complicity!
Her writings often explain that she works with the ‘insider’ who is part of the capital regime, to inform of the disempowerment of women and their labour, while men’s labour seems valued more.
She challenges the binary divisions of gender and work: men’s work valued over women’s, family/domestic chores under profit making chores.
The challenge is: encouraging men to participate and share in the social totality of labour- so it becomes non-binary. women’s work is men’s work: Men’s work is women’s work- then can we get parity.
So if you read her work, it will be a good and challenging read- post note: though she works to educate ‘insiders’ of capital formations, she is not supportive their modes, and is an educator and an activist. The capital seek this division-
But my point… socialism should eliminate this gender division, and production should be non-binary…
L.B
