Division sexuelle du travail et démocratie

Abstract

The aim of this article is to analyze the connections between the sexual division of labor, understood here as a fundamental factor in the production of gender, and the limits of contemporary democracies. The analysis is supported by extensive literature on the subject, accompanied by empirical contributions that allow us to situate the discussion in the Brazilian context. Two axioms and one guiding hypothesis form the three main sections of the article, as follows: (A1) the sexual division of labor is at the heart of gender hierarchies in contemporary societies; (A2) these hierarchies assume different forms according to women’s class and race; (H) the resultant discrepancies – particularly in the form of unequal access to leisure time and income – restrict women’s political participation. Recognition of the impact of the sexual division of labor is made according to a broad vision of politics that takes into account everyday power relations. The analysis highlights how these relations combine to affect access to the political system, in order to help construct theoretical models that incorporate this fundamental dimension of gender relations, the sexual division of labor, and the critical analysis of the limits of democracy.