O ro
(5)

husband-fathner's earnings, his ability to withhold his labor from the market is much
reduced. His flexibility in changing jobs is even much limited. The woman, denied an
active plac: in the market, has little control over the cmditions that covern her
life. Her © is c © dependence is reflected in emotional ‘dependence; passivity and
other “typ!.cal” male personality traits. she is conservative , fearful, supportive

of the status aad
Furthe more, the structure of this family is such that it is an idee consump

“tion unit. Sut this fact, which is widely noted in Women's Liberation literature,

should not. be taken to mean that this is its primary function. If the above analysis
is correct, the family should be seen primarily asa production unit for housework
and child-rearing. Everyone in capitalist society is a consumer; the structure of
the family simply means that it is particularly well suited to encourage consumo-
tion. Womer in perticular are good consumers: this follows naturally from their

- responsibi... sa fer matters in the home. Also, the inferior status of women, their
oe ‘general lac: of a strong sense of worth and Se, ‘make them more © exploitable
‘than men’ and hence better consumers.

The he story of women in the industrialized sector of the economy has: depended
simply on ¢ ae labor needs of that sector. “Nomen function as a massive reserve amy

Of labor. “nen lebor is scarce (early industrialization, the two world wars, etc.)

then women form ean important part of the labor force. When there is: less demand for

‘labor (as -ow uncer neccanitalism) wemen become a surplus labor force -~ but one

for which t>eir husbands and not society are economically responsible. The “cult
o£ the Rone ‘makes its reappearance during times of labor surplus and is used to
channel worn out of the market economy. This is relatively easy since the pervad-
ing ideolos; ensures that no cne, man or woman, takes women's participat:. on in the
labor force very seriously. Women's real work, we are taught, is in the home: this
holds whether or not they are married, single, or ‘the heads of households.

_ At al? times, houschold work is the respnonsibility of women. When they are
working out: ide ihe home they must somehow manage to get both outside jcb and
housework “one (cr they sumervise a substitute for the housework). “omen, particu~
larly marr od werean with children, who work outside the home simply do two.jcbs;
their part: csipat: on in the labor force is only allowed if they continue «o fulfill
their firs: res~ “sibility in the home. This is varticularly evident: in countries

like Russi: and -10cse in Eastern Eurove where ‘expanded coportunities foxn-women in
_ the labor * eae ras not brought about corresponding expansion in their. liberty.
- Equal acce:3 to - .bs outside the heme, while one of the preconditions for women's

liberation | Saat not in itself be sufficient to give equality for women: as long as
work in th home remains a matter of private production aon is the responsibility

of women t 2y wi.1 then simply carry a double work load.

A sec: nd pre requisite. ‘for Essie "s liberation which ena from the. above: an-
alysis is ‘he corversion of the < now cone in the home as private preduction in-

. to work to he dor ein ‘the: public e Hey: 19 To he more specific, this means. that

child-rear ng should nolonger be the resnonsibility solely of the parents. Society
must begin to tale responsibility for children; the economic dependence: of women and
cn the hus. 2nd-f: ther must be ended. The other work that gqces on in the : 30me must

also be Se Es = communal eating places and laundries for example. “hen. such, work

is moved io the public’ sector then the material basis for aaserdningese on ites
_ women Malt xe gone. :

These are cnly Bpetenatiedas ‘The idea of the inferior status. Of WO men. is |
deeply roc?.d in the society and will take a great deal of effort to eradicate, But
once the ss-uctures which produce ‘and support that idea are changed then, and only

then, can w. hope to progress. It is possible, for example, that a‘chance to. comm

unal eatin: _plac:s would simply mean that women are moved from a home kitchen to a
communal cv.c. This would be an advance However; poser den in a socialist society