Marx describes a commodity as something that can be used by others and exchanged for some good or service of equal value (Marx, 4). The ability to be useful to others he terms use-value and the value that is derived from the trade of said good deemed exchange-value. The process by which a commodity comes into being is the result of labor power. Labor power doesn’t necessarily determine the value of the commodity but the use of this labor power for production of a commodity can lead to the process of alienation (Marx, 5). If an individual sells his ability to work, his labor power, to another individual that owns the tools to produce in exchange for a wage; he has spent his labor power and is unable to produce for himself. Per Marx, this form of alienation from one’s “species-being “ prevents the person from pursuing not only productive work but also any leisure activities or improving the value of his labor power through additional training or education(Marx, 75).
In most societies, domestic work has typically been done by wives and mothers and it is largely unpaid. As women in western countries have continued to enter the workforce in greater numbers, the need for someone to perform the household tasks that have been socially designated as “women’s work” has also increased. As a result, this domestic work has become a commodity. Its use-value is obvious in that it provides working women with more time to devote to career goals. Unfortunately, domestic work is not deemed valuable by society, which is reflected in the exchange value of this type of work. Even if the worker has improved the value of their labor power by obtaining specialized skills or a college degree, the value of domestic work determined by society is still very low and the wages associated reflect that. Besides being undervalued, domestic workers are affected by what Marx calls alienation.
“Historically and in the contemporary period, paid domestic workers have had to limit or forfeit primary care of their families and homes to earn income by providing primary care to the families and homes of employers, who are privileged by race and class” (Hondagneu-Sotelo 2003). Forfeiture of the care of one’s own family and home to enter into wage labor exemplifies the concept of alienation specifically from one’s self. By commoditizing domestic duties, capitalism has taken a service that previously had no exchange value and assigned a meager value to it for the purpose of sale. Additionally, many domestic workers live in the home of their employers so that they can be available at any hour. This maximum use of the workers available labor power demonstrates the exploitation that domestic work is subject to.
As women continue to achieve greater participation in the workforce, paid domestic work will become more common. Although Marx describes a commodity as being without value for its owner, it probably hadn’t occurred to him in the 1800’s that many women would enter into the work force and hire others to care for their children and homes. The nurturing work that is being sold in this context does have value for its owner however they are choosing to use that labor power for wages. Because it costs money to live in this increasingly capitalist society, the choice for those who do domestic work is simple.