Gender, class and emancipation: A feminist reading of Erik Olin Wright's work

Abstract

Erik O. Wright's work can be interpreted as an attempt to renovate sociological Marxism, a tradition that has maintained an 'unhappy marriage' with feminism, to use Hartmann's well-known expression. This paper aims to examine Wright's work from a feminist perspective. In particular, it discusses Wright's theoretical reflection on two problems: on the one hand, the intersection of class and gender in contemporary capitalism; and, on the other, the route to women's emancipation, paying special attention to his idea of a genderlessness society and to the potential effects of 'real utopias' such as equal non-transferrable parental leaves. The aim of the article is not only to review Wright's work from a feminist perspective, but to explore the ways through which his contribution connects with dilemmas and debates of contemporary feminism.