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The Rise and Decline of Patriarchal Systems: An Intersectional Political Economy
A major new work of feminism on the history and persistence of patriarchal hierarchies from the MacArthur Award-winning economist
In this groundbreaking new work, Nancy Folbre builds on a critique and reformulation of Marxian political economy, drawing on a larger body of scientific research, including neoclassical economics, sociology, psychology, and evolutionary biology, to answer the defining question of feminist political economy: why is gender inequality so pervasive? In part, because of the contradictory effects of capitalist development: on the one hand, rapid technological change has improved living standards and increased the scope for individual choice for women; on the other, increased inequality and the weakening of families and communities have reconfigured gender inequalities, leaving caregivers particularly vulnerable.
The Rise and Decline of Patriarchal Systems examines why care work is generally unrewarded in a market economy, calling attention to the non-market processes of childbearing, childrearing and the care of other dependents, the inheritance of assets, and the use of force and violence to appropriate both physical and human resources. Exploring intersecting inequalities based on class, gender, age, race/ethnicity, and citizenship, and their implications for political coalitions, it sets a new feminist agenda for the twenty-first century.
In this groundbreaking new work, Nancy Folbre builds on a critique and reformulation of Marxian political economy, drawing on a larger body of scientific research, including neoclassical economics, sociology, psychology, and evolutionary biology, to answer the defining question of feminist political economy: why is gender inequality so pervasive? In part, because of the contradictory effects of capitalist development: on the one hand, rapid technological change has improved living standards and increased the scope for individual choice for women; on the other, increased inequality and the weakening of families and communities have reconfigured gender inequalities, leaving caregivers particularly vulnerable.
The Rise and Decline of Patriarchal Systems examines why care work is generally unrewarded in a market economy, calling attention to the non-market processes of childbearing, childrearing and the care of other dependents, the inheritance of assets, and the use of force and violence to appropriate both physical and human resources. Exploring intersecting inequalities based on class, gender, age, race/ethnicity, and citizenship, and their implications for political coalitions, it sets a new feminist agenda for the twenty-first century.
320 pages, Paperback
First published February 4, 2020
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1292 people want to read
About the author
Nancy Folbre
33 books33 followersNancy Folbre is an American feminist economist who focuses on economics and the family, non-market work and the economics of care. She is Professor of economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
July 24, 2021
An excellent compilation of feminist and Marxian analyses about the specific nature of modern struggle against patriarchal capitalism. While I feel the analysis was sharp, what felt lacking as a piece of political economic analysis was a synthesis of the path forward as asserted by Folbre. That's the only thing that kept me from giving this a 5 star. Otherwise, very well written and researched.
December 20, 2021
I FINALLY FINISHED THIS BOOK. Her ideas and the points she makes are fabulous but it is not written for anyone to actually read. It is so difficult to read. It’s like reading bullet points compiled into paragraphs with no path or story or arc or even clear thesis statements?
But her theses are needed and smart and important. I took notes on every page. Now I have to figure out how to document them somewhere so that I don’t forget everything I learned…
But her theses are needed and smart and important. I took notes on every page. Now I have to figure out how to document them somewhere so that I don’t forget everything I learned…
August 5, 2022
Dobrá analýza care economy , ktorá udržuje ženy v zlej ekonomickej, materiálnej kondícii a tým pádom ich sociálny kapitál na vyjednávanie je slabý. Taktiež kritika Sovietskej a Čínskej revolúcie, ktoré boli nedostatočné v odstraňovaní care economy. Riešenia otázky nie sú provided, len sa téma rozoberá.
July 6, 2023
An interesting and detailed analysis that I rated higher than my actual interest in the book. Why? I cannot fault Folbre for having read quite a lot about the subjects they tackle, thereby making much of the book, for me, a summary or repetition of books I have previously read. Her arguments are sound and rather dead right, though I felt their shallow gloss on democracy to be problematic. In the USofA democracy, as it is often labeled, has taken a back seat - maybe even the way-back seat - to capitalism and White "christian" Nationalism, rather like fascism or Nazism. So while they claim democracy can help ameliorate the destructiveness of capitalism and the interwoven patriarchal systems, I tend to not share that rosy-eyed view. Still, opinions vary.
Ultimately, capitalism - undergirded by a vast systemic/institutional network of racism, sexism, classism, and environmental annihilation- must be destroyed completely. Capitalism will render the planet unusable for humans, which makes that humanity's only priority, since the other problems cease to matter when humans cease to exist. Destroying capitalism will weaken severely the White, "christian", Nationalist structures, allowing those outside this ever-shrinking group (basically anyone not White, wealthy, male, "christian") to start making the necessary changes to fix the mess we have at hand.
A book that will be of interest to readers looking for small glimmer of hope that the capitalist-patriarchy can finally, and necessarily, be dismantled and replaced with something better, systems that see value in every human life, ones that function most effectively when providing equal opportunity and care for all, not merely a select few.
Ultimately, capitalism - undergirded by a vast systemic/institutional network of racism, sexism, classism, and environmental annihilation- must be destroyed completely. Capitalism will render the planet unusable for humans, which makes that humanity's only priority, since the other problems cease to matter when humans cease to exist. Destroying capitalism will weaken severely the White, "christian", Nationalist structures, allowing those outside this ever-shrinking group (basically anyone not White, wealthy, male, "christian") to start making the necessary changes to fix the mess we have at hand.
A book that will be of interest to readers looking for small glimmer of hope that the capitalist-patriarchy can finally, and necessarily, be dismantled and replaced with something better, systems that see value in every human life, ones that function most effectively when providing equal opportunity and care for all, not merely a select few.
May 22, 2022
If you wanted an academic novel that summarizes all the reasons why your mom is better than your dad this is it. If you've ever needed evidence about intersectionality for an idiot that claims that "Facts don't care about your feelings" this is it. This book radicalized me and I reference it all the time.
July 10, 2023
Very well written:) The content matches very well with the title: it has a heavy focus on the intersectionality mostly between patriarchy and capitalism, but she also acknowledged the impact of other factors such as gender, race, ethnicity etc.
She also mentioned and illustrated the concept of hierarchy, unpaid work, and collective economy&family structures many times in the book. The only thing is that some of the examples are a bit redundant and her illustration of some concepts aren't that necessary (wordy), and the content sometimes can be dry for some readers.
Still worth a five star but only recommend to people who're genuinely interested in unpaid work, marxist feminism, and political economy.
She also mentioned and illustrated the concept of hierarchy, unpaid work, and collective economy&family structures many times in the book. The only thing is that some of the examples are a bit redundant and her illustration of some concepts aren't that necessary (wordy), and the content sometimes can be dry for some readers.
Still worth a five star but only recommend to people who're genuinely interested in unpaid work, marxist feminism, and political economy.
July 10, 2024
What a difficult read it was. The content is priceless but the style is very academic. If one believes that patriarchy isn't (or hasn't been) with us, please do get a copy: the analysis is very thorough and solid. Internalisation of care is one of the most urgent tasks economies must do. I enjoyed Chapter 9 the most which was probably the best structured of all.
April 27, 2024
A little dense, but super informative and thought provoking
December 25, 2025
An introductory overview of patriarchal capitalism that is constrained by its liberal framework in interpreting social relations of class, race and gender, this is best summed up by its criticisms of mainstream economics being subdued by its acceptance of the the discipline's normative boundaries
However the book serves well as a jumping-off point for further reading
Particular highlights include:
The comparison between human capital and natural capital, even if these terms have their limitations, was particularly insightful in that children do not negotiate with parents over how and when they should be brought into the world or what kind of upbringing they should receive, similar to the unpriced endowments of resources and ecological services on which all life on earth depends
The criticism of institutional economics that point beyond formal democratic processes to argue that inclusive institutions are more likely than extractive ones to foster economic development, however they mostly focus on political institutions, with little to no attention to other sites where "extraction" may take place, such as the capitalist firm, the patriarchal family, or the racist community, and thus never fully acknowledge the many ways that unearthed bargaining power can give some groups easy claims to the services of others
This institutionalist literature promotes a self-congratulatory history that holds the United States and Europe up as models for other countries and soft-pedals the global effects of colonial and imperial power
How mainstream labour economists assume the cost of specialisation in care provision represents a price freely paid for the intrinsic satisfaction it affords - ignoring the economic, political and ideological institutions that both shape preferences and reduce women's ability to capture the value of the care services they provide
Even when capitalist expansion offers women more space to pursue traditionally masculine prerogatives, it increases the relative cost of commitments that do not yield a private return
Arguing that imported care cannot solve the current care economy, as the "cheap migrants" solution to care provision in affluent countries resembles the cheap natural gas as a substitute for coal solution to global climate change: a short-run gambit that postpones a more serious reckoning
Reliance on a global care chain simply offloads care deficits onto others with especially negative consequences for disempowered groups and low-income countries - the servants of globalisation deserve better rights, better working conditions, and better pay
However the book serves well as a jumping-off point for further reading
Particular highlights include:
The comparison between human capital and natural capital, even if these terms have their limitations, was particularly insightful in that children do not negotiate with parents over how and when they should be brought into the world or what kind of upbringing they should receive, similar to the unpriced endowments of resources and ecological services on which all life on earth depends
The criticism of institutional economics that point beyond formal democratic processes to argue that inclusive institutions are more likely than extractive ones to foster economic development, however they mostly focus on political institutions, with little to no attention to other sites where "extraction" may take place, such as the capitalist firm, the patriarchal family, or the racist community, and thus never fully acknowledge the many ways that unearthed bargaining power can give some groups easy claims to the services of others
This institutionalist literature promotes a self-congratulatory history that holds the United States and Europe up as models for other countries and soft-pedals the global effects of colonial and imperial power
How mainstream labour economists assume the cost of specialisation in care provision represents a price freely paid for the intrinsic satisfaction it affords - ignoring the economic, political and ideological institutions that both shape preferences and reduce women's ability to capture the value of the care services they provide
Even when capitalist expansion offers women more space to pursue traditionally masculine prerogatives, it increases the relative cost of commitments that do not yield a private return
Arguing that imported care cannot solve the current care economy, as the "cheap migrants" solution to care provision in affluent countries resembles the cheap natural gas as a substitute for coal solution to global climate change: a short-run gambit that postpones a more serious reckoning
Reliance on a global care chain simply offloads care deficits onto others with especially negative consequences for disempowered groups and low-income countries - the servants of globalisation deserve better rights, better working conditions, and better pay
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews