Thomas, Carol (1987) Domestic labour and the capitalist mode of production : a theoretical and historical analysis. PhD thesis, University of Warwick.

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Abstract

In advanced capitalist economies, a considerable
proportion of society's labour-power is expended in the
performance of unpaid labour in the household. The
domestic labour per formed in the homes of the working
class, mainly but not exclusively by women, is the subject
of this thesis.
Part One deals with theoretical questions
concerning the existence and nature of domestic labour as
a form of production. In it I attempt to develop a
Marxist, that is, a historical materialist, analysis of
domestic labour that suffers neither from functionalism
nor idealism. To a great extent, new theoretical analyses
grow out of the critique of already existing ones. The
chapters in Part One reflect this: I present a political
economy of domestic labour and an analysis of it's
historical origin in the context of a critique of both
Materialist Feminist theory and the Domestic Labour
Debate.
Part Two contains three studies in the
historical development of domestic labour in 19th and 20th
century Britain. Three themes are present throughout: the
changing nature of the domestic labour process and the
means of production employed; the relationship between
working class struggle and the development of household
labour; the relationship between the development of
domestic labour and the social position of women.
My analysis is based on the study of Marxist
political economy and secondary source research into the
history of wor king class household labour. It's
originality lies principally in it's method of approach.
To date, studies of domestic labour have generally
suffered from theoretical or empirical exclusivity. The
development of a detailed and rounded historical
materialist analysis through the interaction of historical
and theoretical research sets this thesis apart from
contributions to the Domestic Labour Debate and other
studies in the household labour studies tradition. This
approach has led to new conclusions in relation to the
political economy, the historical origin, and the
historical development, of domestic labour.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor H Social Sciences > HN Social history and conditions. Social problems. Social reform H Social Sciences > HQ The family. Marriage. Woman
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Housekeeping, Housewives -- Great Britain -- History -- 19th century, Housewives -- Great Britain -- History -- 20th century, Working class -- Great Britain -- History -- 19th century, Working class -- Great Britain -- History -- 20th century
Official Date:	March 1987
Dates:	Date Event March 1987 Submitted
Institution:	University of Warwick
Theses Department:	Department of Sociology
Thesis Type:	PhD
Publication Status:	Unpublished
Supervisor(s)/Advisor:	Frith, Simon
Extent:	v, 359 p.
Language:	eng

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