The Value of Feminized Labor Under Capitalism

Women have made great progress in the fight for equality over the years; however, there is still a disparity in wages among men and women under capitalism. Women make an average of approximately 76 cents to the 1 dollar of a man. This is a problem that is caused by the lack of value society puts on women’s work. This thesis explores this issue by analyzing and utilizing some of the ideas found in texts such as The Marx-Engels Reader by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, Marx, Women, and Capitalist Social Reproduction: Marxist Feminist Essays by Martha E. Gimenez, and Revolting Prostitutes: The Fight for Sex Workers' Rights by Molly Smith and Juno Mac. Through analyzing the texts, subject matter such as domestic labor, sexual labor, and ideas revolving around capitalism are revealed and discussed to further understand the way that women can be freed from the exploitation they experience under the capitalist system.