A Materialistic Perspective of Culture and Social Life
A materialistic perspective of culture and social life refers to the manner in which work affects societal and cultural factors. Mascia-Lees focused on the materialistic explanations of oppression, class inequality, and gender (132).
Inequality Caused by Economic Organization
In this regard, the chapter examines how the society's economic organization caused inequality between men and women. The manner in which goods and services were produced and utilized had different effects on women and men. Besides, the nature of work performed had a bearing on the status assigned to particular women. Work processes could institute oppressive relations of power through inequality. The universal subordination of women could be attributed to class and gender oppression while capitalism was responsible for the development of inequality. In fact, capitalism was quite dependent on the invisibility and undervaluation of women's labor. Richer people could enhance their wealth while disadvantaged individuals experienced deeper poverty. Consequently, the economic system could explain the occurrence of oppression, class inequality, and gender differences.
Effects of Mode of Production on Social Life
Notably, the mode of production shaped social life including access to resources, division of labor, class, gender, and race. Some forms of employment were traditionally reserved for males while others were considered feminine (Guest 23). For example, men could perform manual jobs such as engineering while women could engage in knitting and other household tasks. The sexual division of labor has made it difficult to find men and women performing similar tasks (Mascia-Lees 133). Professions such as law enforcement have significantly more men than women since the jobs are presumed masculine. Division of labor at the workplace also creates positions that exalt managers over their subordinates. Class distinctions emerge when certain workers are paid higher salaries for performing executive functions while others receive fewer wages despite performing hard tasks.
Works Cited
Guest, Kenneth J. Cultural anthropology: A toolkit for a global age. New York: WW Norton & Company, 2013.
Mascia-Lees, Frances E. Gender & Difference in a Globalizing World: Twenty-first Century Anthropology. Long Grove: Waveland PressInc, 2010.
