It makes sense when you’re trying to specifically talk about the labor involved in reproduction. Humans reproduce via sexual reproduction. It takes two to tango. That’s why the term reproductive labor applies to both men and women.
You could use more vague terms like “domestic labor,” but you lose a lot in generalizing this much. Often you want to talk about just the kind of labor that arises in the period after a child is born. But all couples, all individuals have domestic labor. Reproductive labor is something much more specific.
It makes sense when you’re trying to specifically talk about the labor involved in reproduction. Humans reproduce via sexual reproduction. It takes two to tango. That’s why the term reproductive labor applies to both men and women.
You could use more vague terms like “domestic labor,” but you lose a lot in generalizing this much. Often you want to talk about just the kind of labor that arises in the period after a child is born. But all couples, all individuals have domestic labor. Reproductive labor is something much more specific.