A woman as an object
One core argument throughout Irigaray's highly influential essays is the depiction of the common woman as an object, worthy only for its utility and value, specifically its value as a sexual object for the man's pleasure. Obviously, this is a violation of a woman's rights as a human, an attempt to dehumanize her and indoctrinate her into a kind of slavery through marriage.
Marriage as an economy
Irigaray points to the transactional nature of marriage, observing that women are essential viewed as a commodity, using Marx's argument for capital and commodities. She shows marriage as a way to exchange women into different patriarchal families. As far as the capital symbolism goes, she argues that mothers show the utilitarian value of women, virgins show the "exchange value" of women's sexuality, and prostitutes combine those two roles into one: a commodified exchange of sex.
Women as their own proletariat
Obviously there must be social ramifications for the infringement of human rights, and Irigaray found that Marxist arguments applied well to women's rights issues, and helped explain the oppression in a way many people would be familiar with because of the civil rights marches only a decade or so ago when Irigaray wrote these essays. Identifying Woman as a proletariat class implies a revolution against the social constructions of her time.
Patriarchy as a Marxist oppressor
In a Marxist system, there must be an oppressing class, and for Marxists, this oppressing class is the bourgeoisie. For Irigaray, the bourgeoisie was men, due to the patriarchal assumption of supremacy. As a lower class, women's plans for change must include a revolt against the tyranny of men who view women as objects instead of people.
Feminism as a civil rights issue
By likening feminism to Marxism, Irigaray legitimizes the movement and attaches a strong moral implication to the arguments. Instead of viewing the social authority of men over women as a natural, biological issue, she argues that it is a systemic and cultural issue—or in other words, a civil rights issue. Feminism for Irigaray is not just about being treated better—it's about being treated equally.
