ABSTRACT
This chapter exposes the hypocritical ideology of separate public and private spheres by showing that neoliberal capitalist regimes deliberately structure production and social reproduction in ways that mask the reality of the continuing interdependence of these domains. A theory of the permanent articulation of production and social reproduction enhances feminist arguments for gendered labour markets by taking account of modified market requirements. Neoliberal macro-economic policies assume or promote the commoditisation of human life through the privatisation of health and education services and the end of subsidised food and housing, leading to more inequitable distribution of these necessities and the dismantling of communal welfare. Violence is manifesting in the reorganisation of the reproductive economy no less than in the productive economy, and it has significant effects on women's and men's lives, gender relations and inter-generational interactions. Violence affects outcomes, too, as interpersonal aggression increases with the pressures of neoliberal policies on families.
