>This reminds me of the argument some feminists raise against
>the socialist-feminist claim that capitalism and sexism are
>mutually dependent: "Sexism existed before capitalism, so
>capitalism can't possible be a cause of sexism!" --The
>socialist feminist point, which I still more or less buy,
>is that capitalist social relations tend to reinforce
>and benefit from discrimination against women (e.g.,
>free household labor = families surviving on lower
>wages = maximization of profits). Thus substantial
>gender stratification persists in a society that
>purported "treats everyone equally".
Yes and no. Wal-Mart thrives on the superexploitation of women, but capitalism also tends to make us all into competitive monads. Certainly the entry of women into paid work, which has rendered them considerably less dependent on men, is a trend entirely consistent with the capitalist process. And capital has marketized many former household tasks - the production of clothing, the preparation of food, childcare, entertainment, etc.
Doug