WouldntULike2Know Irigaray

"A woman's evolution, however radical it might seek to be, would not suffice ten to liberate woman's desire.  Neither political theory nor political practice have yet resolved nor sufficiently taken into account this historical problem, although Marxism has announced its importance.  But women are not, strictly speaking, a class and their dispersion in several classes makes their political struggle complex and their demands sometimes contradictory." (Irigaray 258).

The obvious issue of gender dominance as well as class dominance creates an difficult situation for those unfortunate souls belonging to the subordinate class, gender, not to mention race.  In the context of gender ideologies and hegemonic roles within them, gender limits women regardless of their merit in virtually every aspect of their lives.  

Within the corporate world, women are not taken very seriously because of the societal importance placed on their devotion to their family lives.  Women must sacrifice spending time with her family (or even choose not to have a family at all) if they wish to make strides in their careers.  If she tries to balance work and family, she is seen as not serious enough and is less likely to advance within her company.  Men, however, are more likely to excel in the business world if they are married with children because that means that they probably have a wife at home tending to the home, meaning that he can focus more on his job.   At home, women give up some of the power because, if they are not working, they are not gaining any income making them dependent on the husband.   Finally, in the bedroom, because of this loss of power brought on by societal constraints, she is, yet again, powerless.  Her thoughts and desires are not important because, socially she is less important too.  Women even contribute to our own self subordination because we buy into what we know to be false.  We adamantly believe that we are better suited to raise children and keep the home, thus, limiting our opportunities in life.  

Fixing this problem is no easy task.  Because men (what Marx could label as a class) control society, their objective is to reproduce status quo.  Secondly, the class difference among all women truly limits them from uniting as a whole to make a change.  The first step towards gaining footing in a society that sees you as nothing more than a baby maker and a "hole-envelope" (254), would be to reestablish the division of labor and broaden the strict definitions of gender and the summation of its parts.  

How to do this-- I have no idea.  However, strides are being made in that direction.  Oprah recently had The Pregnant Man on her show.  Google it.  You will be shocked.