Abstract This paper on ‘Why capitalist models of feminism necessarily fill more than the 99% depicts the trials of a society which runs on capitalism. The harmful effects are borne by the women and by some people as well. Most of the times, capitalism has only brought about a negative impact. The essay outlines one or two advantages while the disadvantages are as well discussed to show that Feminism and Capitalism cannot exist simultaneously. Does this system bring about harm to society? is the question which has been answered in the paper with the help of the references ‘Does capitalism help women’ and ‘How feminism became capitalism's handmaiden - and how to reclaim it’.
The capitalist model of feminism is prevalent where we see that if a woman possesses a property, she loses power when it is used for generating income. Females are treated like slaves and are always under somebody, either the husband or the father. The male assumes the role of the bread winner of the family and the woman tends to be financially dependent on him. Women are as well made to believe that they are fit for only house work, for which they are not paid or rewarded. This is one of the main reasons why Marxists feel that feminists have to fight against capitalism (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2016). In this paper we will see as to how the capitalist model has penetrated into feminism and whether this has been a disadvantage or advantage for women.
A new form of capitalism has emerged which is unorganized and neo- liberal (Fraser, 2013). This gave rise to a new movement in feminism which focused on work place, politics, family and reproductive rights. The first phase was on legal and voting rights (Burkett, 2020). The woman has turned from a home maker to a contributor in the family’s earnings. “Flexible capitalism” points out to the fact that women are not given equal wages as men especially in the production sector (Fraser, 2013).
A woman is treated as a slave in her house and is always considered to be indispensable. She does not get any monetary compensation, a word of praise or any rewards. House work is a thankless job without any leave or rest. Various women’s movements want the men to help out the women in household chores. Though most husbands agree to do this, it is not considered to be a productive opportunity as there are no monetary benefits accrued. Moreover housework consumes long hours of time, though there are many gadgets available in the modern world to ease the burden (Davis, 1981).
Capitalism is dependent on an economic system. It is based on the foundation of giving freedom to individuals to decide what they want to do, without being under the domination of some people or the government. People have to extend their support and the government should not show much interference in the economic affairs.
Capitalist economies help in creating income, which have been a boon in empowering women. The advent of technology has made it easier for women to work in the house or in the office. They do not need physical power to do jobs which were done by men. Financial freedom made women independent, so much so that they did not feel the need to marry (Aschoff, 2019).
Women are not only fighting for their rights, they are as well fighting for all those people who are harassed, exploited and dominated. This is the reason why it is called as the feminism for 99% (Fraser, 2019).These women are not in favour of sacrificing many lives for obtaining their freedom. Issues involving migrant, poor and physically disabled women are looked into. They are fighting to provide justice to the women who are treated with a sexist and racist attitude and threats to them in the workplace. These women want to bring about a complete change in society as they are anti-neoliberal and anti- capitalist. They want to root out the cause of misery which is capitalism and will not rest until they achieve equality, justice and
