Marxism, class and women's oppression

This article argues that the theories of Marxism are able to integrate issues of gender and race oppression in order to develop an inclusive theory of class that recognises the role of women in work and social reproduction in the 21st century. The position of women remains unequal to that of men, as evidenced by a range of issues, including the gender pay gap, the sexual division of labour and the widespread nature of sexual harassment at work. The role of women in social reproduction remains key to this situation, despite the very big changes that women have experienced in the past half-century. Marx's theories of class and human liberation remain an essential starting point for a theory of women's equality today.