Salient. Newspaper of the Victoria University Students' Association. Vol 42 No. 23. September 17 1979
Women Under Capitalism
Women Under Capitalism
The majority of women in capitalist societies such as New Zealand suffer double oppression, once as workers and again on the basis of their sex. The driving force of our economic system is investment for profit. Goods are produced if they make a profit, and not produced if they don't, regardless of need. Social services are only provided if they are in the interests of the capitalists, or if they have been won through hard political struggle.
In our society, all people who don't own the means of production — the factories, farms, or service companies etc. are subject to the decisions of those that do. Women however are singled out for double exploitation. The capitalists use the differences between men and women to "super exploit" women; just as they use the differences between whites and blacks in just the same way,