Wages for Housework

In the 1970s, a bold message echoed globally: women wanted compensation for every menial task and injustice, from scrubbing toilets to childbearing. This demand extended to seeking a wage for every gesture society took for granted. The call for "Wages for Housework" represented a radical challenge from a network of feminists determined to recognize the economic value of household labor.Historian Emily Callaci sheds light on this movement by delving into the lives and thoughts of its pioneers. She traces their journey, beginning with Selma James, a working-class organizer, and Mariarosa Dalla Costa, a scholar-activist, who initiated this campaign in London and Italy. As the movement evolved, Silvia Federici contextualized it within New York City's financial difficulties, while Wilmette Brown, a lesbian poet and anti-war advocate, and Margaret Prescod, a community activist, infused the movement with insights from Black feminism.Combining fresh archival findings and numerous interviews, Callaci examines how the movement extended its reach across continents, including Europe, America, Africa, and the Caribbean. For these activists, demanding wages was more than a financial plea; it was a means to envision and construct an alternative world under capitalism—and perhaps beyond it. The movement continues to inspire profound reflection: How might a society that values care above production transform our world? What freedoms would women gain with more time at their disposal? These are the enduring questions posed by the Wages for Housework movement.