Revisiting Wages for Housework, with Emily Callaci

Intelligence Squared · Mar 30, 2025 · 39m

Unpaid domestic labor has long been the invisible backbone of economies worldwide - but what if it were compensated? In this episode, historian Emily Callaci takes us inside the Wages for Housework movement, a bold and controversial campaign that emerged in the 1970s. Drawing on her new book, Wages for Housework: The Story of a Movement, an Idea, a Promise, Callaci tells the story of this campaign by exploring the lives and ideas of its key creators, tracing their wildly creative political vision over the past five decades. Joining Callaci to discuss the history, impact, and lasting relevance…