Classical Marxist Theory of Women’s Oppression and Liberation

Abstract

In liberal capitalist countries the influence of academic theory on social reality is rather limited and often unintentional, because the link between theory and practice is only implicit. However, in state-socialist societies Marxist theory is explicitly treated as a political ideology, as a guide to action for socialist revolution, socialist reconstruction and the transition to communism. Within this context, the Marxist theory of women’s oppression and emancipation is a significant factor in our understanding of the position of women in state-socialist societies.