In which feminist theory is women's unpaid domestic labor central to oppression?

• A. Liberal Feminism
• B. Cultural Feminism
• C. Radical Feminism
• D. Marxist Feminism

Answer: (D)

Understanding how economic systems shape gender oppression is key here. Marxist feminism argues that women's unpaid domestic labor is central to oppression because it is not paid or valued in the market, yet it underpins the entire capitalist system. By reproducing and caring for the next generation of workers and maintaining households, this unwaged work keeps the labor force available for paid employment and reduces costs for employers. In effect, capitalism relies on this private, unpaid labor to sustain itself, while women remain structurally subordinated within that economic arrangement.

Other feminist theories explain different aspects of gender inequality but don’t tie the oppression so directly to the economy in the way Marxist feminism does. Liberal feminism focuses on gaining equal rights within existing institutions, cultural feminism emphasizes celebrating feminine values and identities, and radical feminism concentrates on patriarchy as the overarching power structure—often critiquing both public and private spheres but not centering the economic exploitation of domestic labor.