The economization of life in 21st-century neoliberal capitalism: A systematic review from a feminist political economy perspective

Abstract

This work studies the economization of life in 21st-century neoliberal capitalism through a systematic review of the literature produced within the field of feminist political economy during the last few years. More specifically, it analyzes various processes that seek to make intimate life profitable. In particular, it focuses on the commodification of affections, feelings, experiences, sex, or life in a strictly biological sense (bodies, the living matter that forms them, and their biological functions), and on the financialization of daily life and subjectivities. These processes are part of a wider dynamic of economization of human behavior, and are also connected to the multiplication of entrepreneurship across the social body. Ultimately, these processes apply market criteria to justify the individualization of risk, as well as social polarization and inequality, thus compromising the very meaning of democracy.