What is “Reproductive Labor” and Why Does it Matter? The Articulation of Women’s Oppression and Capitalist Exploitation in Dalla Costa and Federici

The aim of this article is to clarify the place of “reproductive labor” in the work of Dalla Costa and Federici. After an introduction on the possible intersections between capitalism and patriarchy, we first analyze the different ways in which reproductive labor produces value. In a second moment, we discuss the different political strategies that the authors propose in the face of the capitalist subsumption of reproductive labor, arguing which theoretical-practical option is more consistent with the conceptualization of the productive character of reproduction. Finally, we close by highlighting the relevance of the problematization of reproductive work for contemporary feminist studies.