Marxist feminism wants to liberate women by overthrowing capitalism. They feel that the root problem between men and women is the inequality that is caused by private property, which in turn leads to political confusion, dependence, unhealthy social relationships and economic inequality.

Engels and Gender Oppression

Engels wrote the Origins of the Family, Private Property and the State, in which he analyzes gender oppression as being not a biological predisposition but of the complex system of family institutions in which men are the leaders and women are the subordinates.

Marxist Feminism and the Class System

Marxism is based on oppression of the working class by the upper class. The Marxist Feminism movement sees women as a whole as a class that is oppressed by the dominant male class. Their belief is that the enslavement of women was the building block of the economic system that is based on private property (capitalism).

Marxist Feminism and Prostitution

Using Marxism as the basis of their beliefs, Marxist feminists feel that any work that includes being paid a wage is equal to enslavement and a form of oppression. Prostitution is, in essence, labor and hence falls under the corruption of wage labor following Marxist feminism ideologies. In fact, prostitution is seen as the symbol of everything that is wrong with society. Not only is it oppressive and enslavement due to it being paid labor, but it is a complete domination of women by men.

However, some Marxist feminists disagree with this notion and see prostitutes not as wage slaves but as independent contractors. A prostitute can choose to see her body and sex as a commodity rather than a part of herself. Following the beliefs of philosopher Robert Nozick, a person’s rights predominate over anything else. Hence, a person has the right to choose to sell themselves into slavery or prostitution, so long as this decision is made by themselves with a clear mind.

How Marxist Feminism Has Been Criticized

One of the main criticisms of Marxist feminism is that the original Marxist theory did not explore gender inequalities. Although its political ideologies may be correct, these should not be applied to men and women as classes. Marxist feminism was also criticized by radical feminism, who felt that the issue lies in society being of a patriarchal nature and that capitalism is an institution created by men, which is the root of the problem, rather than capitalism in its own right being the issue. It is also felt by some that feminism is in essence a bourgeois movement, and the bourgeois class is exactly what Marxism tries to overthrow.
In conclusion, Marxist feminism basically coins the doctrines of Karl Marx by describing men and women as classes comparable to the bourgeois and proletariat as described in Marx’ teachings. However, many question whether this is applicable as Marx’ teaching never analyzed gender differences either on their own or as part of the bourgeois versus proletariat debate. Furthermore, the validity of the movement is questioned by many as the feminist movement is largely seen as a bourgeois concept.