The responsibility for household chores and caregiving continues to predominantly fall on women, a reflection of enduring systemic gender inequality. To genuinely alleviate this burden, it is necessary to fundamentally transform society, with the goal of automating and socializing these tasks. The pursuit of women’s liberation is inherently tied to a broader revolutionary struggle.
International Women’s Day, celebrated annually on March 8, is a global occasion where workers and youth take to the streets in many countries to demand gender equality and women’s emancipation. While rooted in the revolutionary traditions of the working class, the essence of the day has been diluted over time. The movement has increasingly been dominated by liberal feminist ideologies that, while well-intentioned, fail to offer comprehensive solutions to the underlying issues. Consequently, the challenges faced by women have not only persisted but have worsened with the successive crises of the capitalist system. The United Nations currently projects that achieving global gender equality could take an estimated 300 years.
One of the most pressing issues is the continued burden of domestic labor placed on women. In countries such as the United Kingdom, for example, nearly half of all working-age women shoulder approximately 45 hours of caregiving responsibilities weekly, on top of their paid employment. Globally, women and girls perform over 75% of care-related tasks and housework, reinforcing a deeply ingrained imbalance.
Some feminist viewpoints advocate for compensating women for this unpaid labor. However, this approach overlooks the fundamental issue: the objective should not be to confine women within the home and pay them for completing laborious tasks. Rather, the aim should be to liberate them from these duties entirely. Technological advancements present the potential to significantly reduce, or even automate, many household tasks. Innovations such as washing machines, dishwashers, and microwaves have already alleviated some of the domestic workload.
Recent studies suggest that nearly 40% of household chores could be automated within the next decade, thanks to advances in robotics, logistics, and artificial intelligence (AI). Tasks such as grocery shopping, cleaning, cooking, and washing clothes and dishes are among those that could be streamlined. Dr. Ekaterina Hertog, an Associate Professor of AI and Society at Oxford University, highlights that such technological advancements hold the potential to significantly improve gender equality by reducing the burden of domestic work, which disproportionately falls on women.
Nevertheless, under capitalism, the benefits of such automation would not be universally accessible. Hertog emphasizes that wealthier households are far more likely to afford cutting-edge, time-saving technology, leading to an “inequality in free time.” Meanwhile, working-class women would continue to bear the brunt of household and caregiving responsibilities, as automation is unlikely to fully address the care needs for children or the elderly, areas where time demands can only be reduced by an estimated 28%.
The broader issue of domestic labor is fundamentally a class question. Wealthier families can afford to hire nannies, carers, and cleaners, or invest in expensive technology to alleviate the burden of household tasks. In contrast, working-class women are left to juggle both paid work and unpaid domestic labor, perpetuating cycles of inequality.
This inequality is inherent to the capitalist system, which thrives on profit and private ownership. Under capitalism, technology is not developed or distributed for the benefit of society at large but rather for those who can afford it. The wealthy enjoy the fruits of technological advancements, while the working class remains overburdened. Moreover, capitalism perpetuates gender-based exploitation, as sexism, misogyny, and discrimination are tools used by the ruling class to divide and subjugate workers, thereby maintaining a low-cost labor force. Low wages discourage the investment in technology that could reduce working hours and improve conditions.
Instead of reducing labor demands, capitalist systems extend working hours, impose unpaid overtime, and force employees to sacrifice their personal time. Thus, the capitalist model fails to provide a viable path toward equality or liberation.
The fight for women’s liberation is therefore inextricably linked to the fight against capitalism. The crises of capitalism disproportionately affect women and other marginalized groups, while the capitalist class benefits from their oppression. However, history has shown that working-class women are often at the forefront of revolutionary movements. From the role of women in sparking the Russian Revolution in 1917 to the leadership of women in the ongoing mass protests in Iran, it is clear that women play a crucial role in pushing for transformative change.
To achieve true emancipation for women, incremental reforms within capitalism will not suffice. What is needed is a complete societal transformation—a revolution that shifts the economic system toward socialism. In a socialist economy, production would be oriented around meeting societal needs, rather than generating profit. This shift would allow for a dramatic reduction in working hours and provide everyone with access to advanced technology, thus freeing people from the drudgery of both waged and unwaged labor.
Automation, under socialism, would be harnessed for the benefit of all. Time-saving technology would be made accessible to everyone, drastically reducing the hours required for necessary tasks both in the workplace and at home. Additionally, essential domestic services would be socialized, with the establishment of publicly funded nurseries, communal kitchens, laundries, and comprehensive social care services, ensuring that the burden of housework no longer falls on individuals or families.
The resources and technology required to achieve gender equality within a generation already exist. However, under capitalism, these possibilities remain unrealized due to the system’s inherent drive for profit. Only by transitioning to a socialist economy can society unlock its full potential, providing freedom and equality for all.