Feminist theory: Marxist and Socialist

Marxist and socialist feminist theory is a key part of the feminist heritage. It is distinguished by concern with: the intersection of gender and class; prioritizing the material and economic dimensions of social life; social inequality rather than difference; social transformation rather than merely the recognition of identity; and a commitment to reasoned argument within the Enlightenment tradition. It originated in the eighteenth century, developed in the nineteenth century, and flowered during the 1970s and 1980s. Today many of its concerns are mainstreamed into analyses of political economy. It has made a lasting contribution to the understanding of the complexities and changes in the gendered division of labor.