women. In these areas of civil society, there has been a constant battle between conservatives, social reformists and radicals. Marxist-Feminists have argued that in reality, household (domestic) labour by housewives which forms, maintains and restores the capacity to work is a large "free gift" to the capitalist economy. Time use surveys show that formally unpaid and voluntary labour is a very large part of the total hours worked in a society. Markets depend on that unpaid labour to function at all. Some feminists have therefore demanded that the government pay "wages for housework". This demand conflicts with the legal framework of the government in capitalist society, which usually assumes a financial responsibility only for the upkeep of "citizens" and "families" lacking other sources of income or subsistence. Other social scientists have tackled this issue from a supercapitalist perspective. Economist Shirley P. Burggraf’s parental dividend concept proposes the replacement of existing government payments to the elderly based on an individual’s payroll tax contributions (e.g. US Social Security), with a new system granting retirement benefits proportional to the income of one’s own children. Such a system could theoretically introduce a return on investment for reproductive labor, thereby incentivizing the care and rearing of children. The role of the state The state can influence both the value and price of labour-power in numerous different ways, and normally it regulates wages and working conditions in the labour market to a greater or lesser extent. It can do so for example by: Stipulating minimum and maximum wage rates for work. Stipulating maximum and minimum working hours, and the retirement age. Stipulating minimum requirements for working conditions, workplace health and safety issues and the like. Stipulating requirements for labour contracts, trade union organization and wage bargaining. Legally defining the civil rights and entitlements of the workers. Adjusting direct and indirect tax rates, levies and tariffs for wage earners and employers in various ways. Adjusting social insurance policies, pension charges/claims and the like. Instituting and adjusting unemployment benefits and other social benefits. Subsidizing workers or their employers in various ways through eligibility to various benefits or supplements to salary. Influencing the general price level, by means of fiscal policy and monetary policy, or by instituting price controls for consumer goods and services. Regulating the consumption of goods and services by workers. Policing workers on the job and off-work, and prosecuting criminal activity with respect to workers' lives.