Women Workers at the Heart of Social Reproduction Struggles: Theoretical Debates and Political Battles

This article proposes a reflection on social reproduction struggles under neoliberalism from the point of view of Social Reproduction Theory. I divide the article into three parts. The first defines Social Reproduction Theory as a critical theory of capitalism that focuses on the contradictions inscribed in the reproduction of

the labour power under capitalism. The second part addresses what we mean by social reproduction struggles, distinguishing three types of social reproduction struggles that allow us to highlight the strategic position occupied by women workers, who guarantee life. The third part proposes a reflection on social reproduction struggles as a space of articulation between the powerful women’s movement (and other social movements) and the labour movement, where we could democratically debate our right (as a life-work class) to settle the conditions of our social reproduction.