Gendered Class Struggles and Marxist Feminist Interventions: An Analytical Discussion

Abstract

In African societies, the class struggle cannot be separated from the gendered realities of colonial legacies, patriarchal societies, and capitalist systems. Women are the essential carriers of unpaid reproductive labour, including taking care of families and administering homes, whereas men experience enormous psychological and economic pressures to be the providers. This paper examines how class and gender intersect to perpetuate inequalities among both men and women, utilising Marxist feminism as the analytical framework. Drawing on African literary texts such as Lauretta Ngcobo’s And They Didn’t Die, Ukamaka Olisakwe’s Ogadinma, and Femi Osofisan’s Morountodun, the study examines how the lived experiences of exploitation and resilience are portrayed in literature and reflect real social conditions. The analysis also combines statistics and policy-related knowledge to strengthen the argument for radical interventions. The recommendations include acknowledging and compensating unpaid work, revising gender-based workplace rules, and addressing the culture of toxic masculinity through education and community initiatives. Drawing on theoretical reflection, literary analysis, and substantive suggestions, this paper proposes an intersectional reconsideration of justice: changing the conception so that class and gender are not viewed in isolation from one another but are instead viewed as interacting forces that have to be addressed simultaneously in order to see any genuine chance of success.