Why it is an "unhappy marriage".

Hartmann calls the alliance between Marxism and Feminism an unhappy marriage because it is characterized by inequality. While feminists see the relationship between patriarchy and capitalism as an inseparable partnership, Marxists define them as part of the working class and so broaden women’s relation to men to worker’s relation to capital. Marxism is too focused on class struggle that it fails to fully understand the women’s oppression perpetuated by the complex partnership of capitalism and patriarchy that is both flexible and adaptive. Even if changes in economic system occur, there is no guarantee that patriarchy is ceased to persist. Because the categories within Marxism are sex-blind, there is no explanation to why women suffer dominance by men inside and outside the family and why it is not the other way around. In my opinion, “marriage” is the perfect metaphor to be used in this case because under Marxism, women continue to be dependent on men. And because of this dependency, women are threatened to leave men and passive to their subordination. Although there are similarities in the two ideologies that bring them together in this marriage, they still have some differences in goals and priorities that allow women’s oppression to continue. Marxism does not solve the patriarchy readings of religion and morality that limit a woman to being a good daughter, wife and mother.

I see a similarity between the essays “The Unhappy Marriage of Marxism and Feminism” and “A Black Feminist Statement” in the sense that their grievances can never be satisfied through their alliances. Feminists turn to Marxism in order to seek social change that would liberate them from dependency on men and unfair treatment in the workplace like black women join force with black men to fight racism. However, their interests are always place under those of their alliances’: sex conflict is not allowed to interfere with class solidarity and race struggle does not consider the patriarchal system that bounds men and women relationship in the society. While feminists share the interests with Marxists and men to overthrow capitalism and racism, they all retain their interests particular to their economic and gender groups. In order words, there is no reason for men to liberate women because their self-interest lies in the continuous oppression of women. Why would men seek a nonhierarchical, nonpatriarchial society that women yearn for when they can enjoy their status and power in patriarchy and capitalism?