23/08 Women’s liberation and socialism: Marijke Colle

Women's oppression in globalization, March 2004[1]

Further readings:
F.I. World Congres 1979, Women's Liberation[2]

Outline of the talk

The work of women

• Characteristics of the female work force:
  • non paid domestic work
  • the wages of women
  • specific oppression and double exploitation

• Reconstruction of the worker’s family
• Role of the family and contradiction with the potential independence of women

• Conclusions : - the system makes use of the double working day of women

- man benefit from this situation

                     - women’s work and gender roles

Origins and growth of the women’s movement in the 19th century

• Flora Tristan (1803-1844)

• The First International
  • Louise Michel (1830-1905) and the Paris Commune (1871)

• The Second International
  • Specific organisations of women
  • Clara Zetkin (1857-1933)

• The Russian Revolution and Alexandra Kollontaï (1872-1952)

Strategic importance of an autonomous women’s movement

• women’s rights in the 19th century
• the new feminism after 1968
• necessity of active participation of women in the struggles
• specific or patriarchal oppression
• autonomous movement and principles of self organisation
• autonomous women’s movement and revolutionary or anticapitalist parties
• autonomous women’s movement and our vision on socialism

Conclusions

• understanding specific oppression
• neoliberal globalisation and women
• gender studies and other oppressions (racism, ethnic minorities,…)
• the question of the LGBT movement
• victory in the struggles and socialist feminism