Domestic Knowledge, Inequalities and Differences

Abstract

This article explores the articulation of domestic knowledge, which is portrayed as a feature of the feminine difference, with class and sexist inequalities. It argues that domestic knowledge can empower women in spite of class inequalities. Thus, the article enters the equality–difference contention from an intermediate stance, which rejects the extreme opposite arguments (Subirats, 1998). On the one hand, this thesis reminds us that a simple definition of ‘equality’ as ‘access to public resources’ is not enough to understands empirical realities and to discuss the full extension of citizenship to domestic life. On the other hand, it recognizes the importance of the feminine difference, but signals the risk of overstating the point if the concept of inequality is neglected. The article is divided into three parts. The first one reviews the academic literature about domestic inequalities and differences. It concludes that new opportunities and new mechanisms of regulation have simultaneously emerged. The second part reports a research project about domestic knowledge and parental involvement at school in Spain. It provides evidence to suggest that collective discussion can become a resource of power for women in that context. The third part links these ideas to academic debates about gender relations and citizenship.