Abstract

CROMPTON, Rosemary. Class and gender beyond the "cultural turn". Sociologia, Problemas e Práticas [online]. 2003, n.42, pp.9-24. ISSN 0873-6529.

This paper addresses recent debates in order to facilitate a constructive return to discussions of gender and class. It is argued that "class" is primarily an economic concept, whereas "gender" inequalities primarily reflect normative/cultural constructions. Nevertheless, cultural degradations have economic consequences. It is suggested that a major strand of debate in relation to "gender and class" - that is, the feminist critique of quantitative class analysis (as exemplified by Goldthorpe, Erikson and Wright) - was flawed from the beginning. However, the "cultural turn" in feminism overlaid gender with sexuality and removed class altogether. Thus, debates in relation to gender, class, and the division of labour were not worked out to a satisfactory conclusion. Nevertheless, a class perspective remains essential if we are to understand and analyse the consequences of changes in the gender division of labour.

Keywords : Gender; class; identity; culture.

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