Luisa F. Iglio

This paper delves into the interplay between patriarchy and capitalism. I argue in favour of conceptualising them as a unified system: patriarchal capitalism. Drawing on Marxist feminist scholarship, I investigate and seek to dismantle the ‘two spheres model’, which presents the public (productive) and the private (reproductive) spheres as independent of one another. I posit that such an ideological separation perpetuates women’s exploitation by reinforcing the segregation of the two spheres, serving patriarchal capitalism’s interests. One of the consequences of this reification is the naturalisation of gendered divisions of labour, grounded in gender-specific traits that reinforce the ideological association between women and unwaged domestic labour. I then contextualise debates from the 1970s-80s to today’s technologically mediated society, arguing that technology is reified and contributes to the reinforcement of naturalised gender roles. I consider the practical case of TradWives – TikTok influencers who romanticise the domestic sphere and misrepresent domestic labour through visually appealing videos. Finally, I conclude with reflections on the possibility of emancipation and de-reification from reified social relations.