NCJ Number
112329
Journal
Social Justice Volume: 15 Issue: 1 Dated: (Spring 1988) Pages: 123-145
Date Published
1988
Length
23 pages
Annotation
This article challenges James Messerschmidt's view that gender inequality is rooted in patriarchy independent of the class structure of a society, thus challenging the view that socialism is more likely to reduce gender inequality than capitalism.
Abstract
Messerschmidt claims that 'men-as-a-group' appropriated and exploited women's labor at the dawn of history in prehistoric hunting and gathering societies. Messerschmidt views patriarchy as rooted in reproductive relations that include human socialization requirements and daily maintenance of children. He views Marx and Engels as being obsessed with class relationships as the cause of various inequalities in a society. Crime, according to Messerschmidt, is also rooted in patriarchy rather than class structure. He ignores evidence of the degree to which patriarchal relations are extensions of capitalism and imperialism and not just parallel developments. He fails to appreciate how the differing structures of capitalism and socialism impact patriarchy. Capitalism, as a basically exploitative system, fuels and thrives upon patriarchy; whereas, socialism aims at reducing all forms of exploitation, social as well as economic. 18 notes and 25 references.